Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus for processing a tomogram of an eye fundus, the apparatus comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor that is in communication with the memory, the processor configured to function as units comprising:
• (a) a feature acquisition unit configured to acquire anatomical features of the tomogram;
• (b) a morbid portion acquisition unit configured to detect primary morbid portions and secondary morbid portions from a plurality of layers specified by the anatomical features acquired by said feature acquisition unit;
• (c) a relevance determination unit configured to determine an existence or absence of relevance between the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected by said morbid portion acquisition unit;
• (d) a priority determination unit configured to determine treatment priority levels for the primary morbid portions;
• (e) a generation unit configured to generate a composite image by projecting the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected by said morbid portion acquisition unit onto a predetermined two-dimensional image;
• and
• (f) a display control unit configured to control a display unit to display the treatment priority levels determined by said priority determination unit and information indicating the relevance determined by said relevance determination unit on the composite image generated by said generation unit.

An image processing method for processing a tomogram of an eye fundus, the method comprising:

• a feature acquisition step of acquiring anatomical features of the tomogram;
• a morbid portion acquisition step of detecting primary morbid portions and secondary morbid portions from a plurality of layers specified by the anatomical features acquired in the feature acquisition step;
• a relevance determination step of determining an existence or absence of relevance between the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected in the morbid portion acquisition step;
• a priority determination step of determining treatment priority levels for the primary morbid portions;
• a generation step of generating a composite image by projecting the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected in the morbid portion acquisition step onto a predetermined two-dimensional image;
• and
• a display step of controlling a display unit to display the treatment priority levels determined in the priority determination step and information indicating the relevance determined in the relevance determination step on the composite image generated in the generation step.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a program stored therein for executing an image processing method for processing a tomogram of an eye fundus, the image processing method comprising:

• a feature acquisition step of acquiring anatomical features of the tomogram;
• a morbid portion acquisition step of detecting primary morbid portions and secondary morbid portions from a plurality of layers specified by the anatomical features acquired in the feature acquisition step;
• a relevance determination step of determining an existence or absence of relevance between the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected in the morbid portion acquisition step;
• a priority determination step of determining treatment priority levels for the primary morbid portions;
• a generation step of generating a composite image by projecting the primary morbid portions and the secondary morbid portions detected in the morbid portion acquisition step onto a predetermined two-dimensional image;
• and
• a display step of displaying the treatment priority levels determined in the priority determination step and information indicating the relevance determined in the relevance determination step on the composite image generated in the generation step.