Endoscope insertion support system and endoscope insertion support method

An endoscope insertion support system comprising:

• a volume area setting processing circuit for setting a volume area which has a start point set in a tubular path of a tubular organ within three-dimensional image data of a subject and has a size so prescribed as to contain the tubular organ;
• an organ area information calculating processing circuit which extracts tubular area information in the volume area on the basis of the three-dimensional image data of the tubular organ in the volume area and calculates segmentation data representing a tubular path shape;
• a contained state determining processing circuit which determines whether or not the tubular path is contained in the volume area set by the volume area setting processing circuit;
• a heteromorphic state detecting processing circuit which detects a strictured or expanded state of the tubular path, as a heteromorphic state, on the basis of at least one of a diameter, area and circumferential length out of the segmentation data calculated by the organ area information calculating processing circuit;
• and
• a hierarchical volume area setting processing circuit which sets a hierarchical volume area obtained by being hierarchically arranged and linked to the volume area set by the volume area setting processing circuit to a size based on a result of determination by the contained state determining processing circuit.