Patent ID: 8373652
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. An image display apparatus comprising: a reference image display unit configured to display a reference image on a display unit; an acquired image storage unit configured to store slice image data; a setting unit configured to set a display range of tomographic images in a first direction, and either of a number of the tomographic images in the first direction to be displayed or a thickness of the tomographic images in the first direction to three-dimensional image data including image data corresponding to a plurality of slices, in accordance with the reference image and instruction information from an input unit; an image generating unit configured to generate either of the tomographic images having the set thickness in the first direction or the set number of the tomographic images in the first direction using the slice image data which are stored in the acquired image storage unit and which correspond to the display range set by the setting unit; a tomographic image display unit configured to display the generated tomographic images in the first direction; a determining unit configured to determine whether or not thin-slice image data sufficient to generate the tomographic images is stored in the acquired image storage unit by determining: (a) whether or not the acquired image storage unit stores the thin-slice image data with the slice thickness thereof thinner than that of the tomographic image, (b) whether or not the acquired image storage unit stores the thin-slice image data within an entire observation range or a part of an observation range, or (c) whether or not the tomographic image can be generated from the thin-slice image data stored in the acquired image storage unit upon generating the tomographic image with a designated scaling rate, or upon designating an oblique cross-section and generating the tomographic image; and an image reconstruction instructing unit configured to transmit, when it is determined, by the determining unit, that sufficient thin-slice image data is not stored in the acquired image storage unit, an instruction to construct necessary slice image data for generating the tomographic images from raw data, to an image reconstructing apparatus, the image reconstructing apparatus being connected externally via a network, the image reconstructing apparatus to transmit the reconstructed slice image data, in response to the instruction, to be stored in the acquired image storage unit.