Medical image processing apparatus, method and program

A medical image processing method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a three-dimensional medical image representing bronchi, and extracting a continuous region having a voxel value corresponding to an air region in the bronchi;
• constructing a graph structure corresponding to the continuous region;
• extracting a plurality of linear structures representing fragments of the bronchi by receiving the three-dimensional medical image, and by analyzing a local density structure in a neighborhood of each point in the three-dimensional medical image;
• and
• reconstructing a graph structure representing the bronchi by connecting a node constituting the graph structure corresponding to the continuous region and a node representing the linear structures to each other, and nodes representing the linear structures to each other by using a predetermined cost function,
• wherein different cost functions are defined for a first segment connecting the node constituting the graph structure corresponding to the continuous region and the node representing the linear structures and a second segment connecting the nodes representing the linear structures to each other, and
• wherein the cost function in the first segment is defined in such a manner that the first segment is more likely to be connected as a change in voxel values is smaller among first segments.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing therein a medical image processing program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

• receiving a three-dimensional medical image representing bronchi, and extracting a continuous region having a voxel value corresponding to an air region in the bronchi;
• constructing a graph structure corresponding to the continuous region;
• extracting a plurality of linear structures representing fragments of the bronchi by receiving the three-dimensional medical image, and by analyzing a local density structure in a neighborhood of each point in the three-dimensional medical image;
• and
• reconstructing a graph structure representing the bronchi by connecting a node constituting the graph structure corresponding to the continuous region and a node representing the linear structures to each other, and nodes representing the linear structures to each other by using a predetermined cost function,
• wherein different cost functions are defined for a first segment connecting the node constituting the graph structure corresponding to the continuous region and the node representing the linear structures and a second segment connecting the nodes representing the linear structures to each other, and
• wherein the cost function in the first segment is defined in such a manner that the first segment is more likely to be connected as a change in voxel values is smaller among first segments.