PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more suitably extract target points on a path that should go through an endoscope and a path at which the endoscope should arrive when an operator performs observation and medical treatment of a target area by making the endoscope go through a tabular structure.SOLUTION: A tabular structure is extracted from volume data, a target area at which the endoscope should arrive via the tubular structure is determined, a point satisfying a prescribed condition among points on the path of the tubular structure is extracted as a target point at which a tip part of the endoscope should arrive, and the path of the tubular structure from a prescribed start point in the tubular structure to the extracted target point is specified, and determined as a path through which the endoscope should be made to go.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】術者が内視鏡を管状構造物を経由させて目標領域の観察・治療を行う際に、内視鏡を経由させるべき経路および内視鏡の到達すべき経路上の目標点をより好適に抽出できるようにする。【解決手段】ボリュームデータから管状構造物を抽出し、内視鏡により管状構造物を経由して到達されるべき目標領域を決定し、管状構造物の経路上の点のうち、所定の条件を満たす点を、内視鏡の先端部が到達すべき目標点として抽出し、管状構造物中の所定の始点から抽出された目標点までの管状構造物の経路を特定し、内視鏡を経由させるべき経路として決定する。【選択図】図2
