Endoscope system and operating method thereof

An operating method of an endoscope system, the method comprising:

• a step in which an imaging condition acquisition unit acquires a first imaging condition as an imaging condition for imaging an observation object by using an endoscope;
• a step in which an imaging condition extraction unit refers to an index-value and imaging-condition storage unit that stores correspondence between the imaging condition, and, as an index value relating to a structure of the observation object, a plurality of index values including a first index value acquirable under the first imaging condition and a second index value non-acquirable under the first imaging condition but acquirable under a second imaging condition, and extracts the second imaging condition;
• and
• a step in which a guidance display unit displays guidance indicating that the second index value is acquirable under the extracted second imaging condition.

An endoscope system comprising:

• an image acquisition unit that acquires an endoscope image obtained by an endoscope imaging an observation object;
• an imaging condition acquisition unit that acquires a first imaging condition as an imaging condition for the imaging;
• an index-value and imaging-condition storage unit that stores correspondence between the imaging condition, and, as an index value relating to a structure of the observation object, a plurality of index values including a first index value acquirable under the first imaging condition and a second index value non-acquirable under the first imaging condition but acquirable under a second imaging condition;
• an index value selection unit that uses the acquired first imaging condition, refers to the index-value and imaging-condition storage unit, and selects the first index value;
• an index value calculation unit that calculates the selected first index value from the endoscope image;
• a first emphasis image generation unit that uses the endoscope image and the calculated index value, and generates a first structure emphasis image in which the structure is emphasized;
• an imaging condition extraction unit that refers to the index-value and imaging-condition storage unit and extracts the second imaging condition;
• and
• a guidance display unit that displays the first structure emphasis image and displays guidance indicating that the second index value is acquirable under the extracted second imaging condition.