Insertion/removal supporting apparatus and insertion/removal supporting method

Abstract

A supporting apparatus for supporting insertion of a flexible insertion member into a subject and removal of the insertion member includes a position acquisition unit, an interrelation calculation unit and a determination unit. The position acquisition unit acquires information on displacements at at least two attention points located at positions that are different in the longitudinal direction of the insertion member. The interrelation calculation unit calculates a degree of interrelation of the displacements acquired at the at least two attention points. The determination unit determines a state of the insertion member or a state of a predetermined target portion of the subject, based on the degree of interrelation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.