3D reconstruction of cross-sectional cutting planes in IVUS images

An image display method for displaying on a display, as a three-dimensional image, three-dimensional data representing a biological tissue, the image display method comprising:

• acquiring, by a processor, tomographic data of the biological tissue obtained by a sensor configured to acquire the tomographic data while moving through a lumen of the biological tissue;
• generating, by the processor, the three-dimensional data based on the tomographic data;
• displaying, on the display, a two-dimensional image representing a cross section indicated by the tomographic data;
• setting, by the processor, as one point, a centroid position of the cross section represented by the two-dimensional image;
• displaying, by the processor, on the two-dimensional image, a first straight line and a second straight line that extend from the one point;
• accepting, by the processor, a first operation by a user of setting a direction of the first straight line from the one point and a second operation by the user of setting an angle formed by the first and second straight lines, thereby setting a two-dimensional cutting region partitioned by the first and second straight lines;
• displaying, by the processor, on the two-dimensional image, the two-dimensional cutting region by coloring, together with the biological tissue included in the two-dimensional cutting region, the two-dimensional cutting region with a color different from a color of a remaining region, such that the biological tissue within the two-dimensional cutting region remains entirely visible on the two-dimensional image;
• setting, by the processor, as cutting planes, two planes that intersect along any line passing through the one point and that respectively include the first and second straight lines;
• forming, by the processor, in the three-dimensional data, a three-dimensional cutting region sandwiched between the cutting planes and exposing the lumen of the biological tissue in the three-dimensional image;
• setting, by the processor, based on a position of the two-dimensional cutting region, a viewpoint such that the three-dimensional image is displayed on a screen as seen from the viewpoint;
• displaying, by the processor, according to the position of the two-dimensional cutting region, a virtual camera representing the viewpoint on the two-dimensional image;
• and
• displaying on the screen, on the display, as the three-dimensional image as seen from the viewpoint, the three-dimensional data in which the three-dimensional cutting region is formed, together with the two-dimensional image on which the two-dimensional cutting region and the virtual camera representing the viewpoint are displayed.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image processing program which, when executed by a computer, causes a display to display, as a three-dimensional image, three-dimensional data representing a biological tissue, and performs, by a processor, processing comprising:

• acquiring tomographic data of the biological tissue obtained by a sensor configured to acquire the tomographic data while moving through a lumen of the biological tissue;
• generating the three-dimensional data based on the tomographic data;
• causing the display to display a two-dimensional image representing a cross section indicated by the tomographic data;
• setting, as one point, a centroid position of the cross section represented by the two-dimensional image;
• displaying, on the two-dimensional image, a first straight line and a second straight line that extend from the one point;
• accepting a first operation by a user of setting a direction of the first straight line from the one point and a second operation by the user of setting an angle formed by the first and second straight lines, thereby setting a two-dimensional cutting region partitioned by the first and second straight lines;
• displaying, on the two-dimensional image, the two-dimensional cutting region by coloring, together with the biological tissue included in the two-dimensional cutting region, the two-dimensional cutting region with a color different from a color of a remaining region, such that the biological tissue within the two-dimensional cutting region remains entirely visible on the two-dimensional image;
• setting as cutting planes, two planes that intersect along any line passing through the one point and that respectively include the first and second straight lines;
• forming, in the three-dimensional data, a three-dimensional cutting region sandwiched between the cutting planes and exposing the lumen of the biological tissue in the three-dimensional image;
• setting, based on a position of the two-dimensional cutting region, a viewpoint such that the three-dimensional image is displayed on a screen as seen from the viewpoint;
• displaying, according to the position of the two-dimensional cutting region, a virtual camera representing the viewpoint on the two-dimensional image;
• and
• causing the display to display on the screen, as the three-dimensional image as seen from the viewpoint, the three-dimensional data in which the three-dimensional cutting region is formed, together with the two-dimensional image on which the two-dimensional cutting region and the virtual camera representing the viewpoint are displayed.