Imaging apparatus for diagnosis, method of controlling the same, program, and computer readable storage medium

A method of controlling an imaging apparatus for diagnosis acquiring information of an inside of a blood vessel and reconstructing a vascular image by using an imaging core configured to emit light or ultrasound toward a lumen surface of a blood vessel and to detect reflection of the light or ultrasound, a probe configured to accommodate the imaging core, and a motor configured to rotate the imaging core and to move the imaging core along the probe at a predetermined velocity, the method comprising:

• continuously acquiring X-ray images of the examinee along a time axis while acquiring the information of the inside of the blood vessel by performing the rotation and the movement of the imaging core;
• specifying a vascular-activity occurrence X-ray image based on a degree of correlation of an adjacent X-ray image with respect to the time axis of the X-ray vascular-activity occurrence image which is acquired by the X-ray image acquisition step;
• determining a corresponding position of the moving imaging core for imaging timing of the vascular-activity occurrence X-ray image which is specified by the specification step;
• generating the axially-directed cross-sectional image along the vascular axis based on the information acquired through the rotation and the movement of the imaging core;
• and
• displaying a composite result of the axially-directed cross-sectional image which is generated by the generation step and an image which shows the corresponding position determined by the determination step on a display of the moving imaging core for imaging timing of the vascular-activity occurrence X-ray image.

An imaging apparatus for diagnosis acquiring information of an inside of a blood vessel and reconstructing a vascular image, the imaging apparatus comprising:

• an imaging core configured to emit light or ultrasound toward a lumen surface of a blood vessel of an examinee and to detect reflection of the light or ultrasound;
• a probe configured to accommodate the imaging core;
• a motor configured to rotate the imaging core and to move the imaging core along the probe at a predetermined velocity;
• an X-ray imaging device configured to continuously acquire X-ray images of the examinee along a time axis while acquiring the information of the inside of the blood vessel by performing the rotation and the movement of the imaging core;
• a processor configured to:
• specify a vascular-activity occurrence time interval based on a degree of correlation of an adjacent X-ray image with respect to the time axis of the X-ray images acquired by the X-ray imaging device;
• generate a plurality of radially-directed cross-sectional images orthogonal to a vascular axis at each of the positions along the vascular axis based on the information acquired through the rotation and the movement of the imaging core;
• and
• determine whether or not timing when the imaging core is positioned at the position on the vascular axis of one of the plurality of radially-directed cross-sectional images is within the vascular-activity occurrence time interval;
• and
• a display configured to display a radially-directed cross-sectional image in a display form in accordance with a result of whether or not the imaging core is positioned at the position on the vascular axis of the one of the plurality of the radially-directed cross-sectional images.