Image processing apparatus, image processing method, information processing program, fluorescence observation system, and fluorescence navigation surgery system

A surgical navigation system for use during surgical operation, comprising:

• a surgical microscope including:
• at least one light source device configured to apply excitation light to an observation target of a living body;
• a fluorescent imaging device configured to capture a fluorescent image of the observation target based on excitation light reflected from the observation target, the fluorescent image having a first pixel resolution;
• and
• a visible light imaging device configured to capture a visible light image of the observation target, the visible light imaging device having a red, green, and blue (RGB) color filter pattern and generating the visible light image as a color image according to a demosaicing process;
• a display having a second pixel resolution different from the first pixel resolution;
• and
• circuitry configured to:
• receive selecting information about a partial area of the observation target that corresponds to a defect corrected and uncompressed region of interest (ROI), the selecting information including information on at least one of zooming or panning performed by the visible light imaging device when capturing the visible light image of the observation target;
• select a portion of the fluorescent image based on the selecting information;
• generate a superimposed image by aligning the selected portion of the fluorescent image with the visible light image;
• and
• control the display to display the superimposed image with the ROI.