Patent ID: 7809177

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for automatically connecting at least two lumen paths of a set of disconnected lumen paths in computed tomographic image data of an organ into a continuous lumen path, comprising: (a) automatically selecting a first path, within the set of disconnected lumen paths, that includes an automatically established landmark portion of the organ; (b) automatically selecting a second path, within the set of disconnected lumen paths, that is not connected to the first path; (c) automatically determining a set of candidate paths, within the set of disconnected lumen paths; (d) automatically selecting one of the candidate paths, such that: a sum of: a distance between an end point of the first path and a first end point of the selected candidate path and a distance between a second end point of the selected candidate path and an end point of the second path is smaller than a corresponding sum involving any other path of the set of candidate paths; and a distance between the second end point of the selected candidate path and the end point of the second path is less than a distance between the end point of the first path and the end point of the second path; and (e) automatically connecting the selected candidate path to the first path to produce an extended first path.