Patent ID: 8634628
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A medical image processing apparatus comprising: a continuous region extraction unit that receives a three-dimensional medical image representing bronchi, and that extracts a continuous region having a voxel value corresponding to an air region in the bronchi; a graph structure construction unit that constructs a graph structure corresponding to the continuous region; a linear structure extraction unit that extracts 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 a graph structure reconstruction unit that reconstructs 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.