Processor for analyzing tubular structure such as blood vessels

An analyzer analyzing a tubular structure of an object to be examined comprising:

• a preparing unit configured to prepare three-dimensional image data of the same object examined;
• an image data producing unit configured to produce, from the three-dimensional image data, data of at least one of a volume rendering image of the object, a maximum intensity projection (MIP) image of the three-dimensional image data, a flat reformatted image at an arbitrary section in the three-dimensional image data;
• a curved reformatted image producing unit configured to produce data of a curved reformatted image from the three-dimensional image data;
• a center line producing unit configured to produce three-dimensional position data of a center line of the tubular structure by using the three-dimensional image data;
• a reference image displaying unit configured to display the center line by overlaying the position data of the center line on data of a reference image consisting of one of the volume rendering image, the maximum intensity projection (MIP) image, the flat reformatted image, and the curved reformatted image;
• a curved reformatted image displaying unit configured to display the center line by overlaying the position data of the center line on the data of the curved reformatted image;
• a center line correcting unit configured to be used for correcting a shape of the center line overlaid on the reference image displayed by the reference image displaying unit;
• a curved reformatted image updating unit configured to reproduce from the three-dimensional image data, the data of the curved reformatted image data displayed by the curved reformatted image displaying unit, in response to a correction of the shape of the center line on the reference image through the center line correcting unit, and to update the overlaying display of the center line on the reference image, updating the curved reformatted image responding substantially in real time to correcting the shape of the center line;
• a specifying unit configured to allow a plurality of markers to be specified on the tubular structure in the reference image, the plurality of markers indicating desired both end positions on the tubular structure and desired zero or more passage positions located between both the desired end positions;
• a unit configured to divide the plurality of markers into a plurality of pairs of markers so that the plurality of pairs of markers are sequentially ordered according to a specifying order along which the plurality of markers are specified through the specifying unit;
• a unit configured to display on the reference image segments mutually connecting the plurality of pairs of markers;
• a unit configured to allow one or more additionally markers to be specified on the reference image, the additional markers indicating additional passage positions;
• a unit configured to re-decide the order of the plurality of pairs of markers by deciding that the additional markers should be located between which two pairs of the plurality of pairs of markers when the additional markers are specified;
• and
• a unit configured to reproduce the data of the center line based on the plurality of pairs of markers re-decided.

An analyzer analyzing a tubular structure of an object to be examined, comprising:

• a preparing unit configured to prepare three-dimensional image data of the same object examined;
• an image data producing unit configured to produce, from the three-dimensional image data, as data of a reference image, data of at least one of a volume rendering image of the object, a maximum intensity projection (MIP) image of the three-dimensional image data, a flat reformatted image at an arbitrary section in the three-dimensional image data;
• a unit configured to produce data of a center line indicating three-dimensional positional information of the tubular structure, from the three-dimensional image data;
• a unit configured to produce data of either a stretched image or a perpendicular sectional image of the tubular structure on the basis of the data of the center line;
• a unit configured to use the data of the reference image, the either stretched image or the perpendicular sectional image, and the center line so that the reverence image with the center line overlaid thereon and either the stretched image or the perpendicular sectional image with the center line overlaid thereon are displayed side by side;
• a unit configured to be used for specifying a position-changeable marker indicative of both view information and interested-point information toward the tubular structure on the center line in each of the reference image and the stretched image;
• a unit configured to respond to a position change of the marker on the stretched image so that the reference image into which the positioned change is reflected is re-depicted;
• a unit for displaying, on the perpendicular sectional image, a view information marker being changeable in a direction thereof and indicating the view information;
• and
• a unit configured to re-depict the reference image to respond to a directional change of the view information marker when the direction of the view information marker is changed.