Patent ID: 7369691

Claim:
An analyzer analyzing a tubular structure of an object to be examined, comprising: a preparing unit configured to prepare three-dimensional image data of the same object examined; an image data producing unit configured to produce, from the three-dimensional image data, data of at least one of a volume rendering image of the object, a maximum intensity projection (MIP) image of the three-dimensional image data, a flat reformatted image at an arbitrary section in the three-dimensional image data; a curved reformatted image producing unit configured to produce data of a curved reformatted image from the three-dimensional image data; a center line producing unit configured to produce three-dimensional position data of a center line of the tubular structure by using the three-dimensional image data; a reference image displaying unit configured to display the center line by overlaying the position data of the center line on data of a reference image consisting of one of the volume rendering image, the maximum intensity protection (MIP) image, the flat reformatted image, and the curved reformatted image; a curved reformatted image displaying unit configured to display the center line by overlaying the position data of the center line on the data of the curved reformatted image; a center line correcting unit configured to be used for correcting a shape of the center line overlaid on the reference image displayed by the reference image displaying unit; a curved reformatted image updating unit configured to reproduce, from the three-dimensional image data, the data of the curved reformatted image data displayed by the curved reformatted image displaying unit, in response to a correction of the shape of the center line on the reference image through the center line correcting unit, and to update the overlaying display of the center line on the reference image, updating the curved reformatted image responding substantially in real time to correcting the shape of the center line; an analysis unit configured to analyze a morphological feature of the tubular structure; a reception unit configured to receive a signal indicating whether or not the position of the center line displayed on both the reference image and the curved reformatted image is acceptable; and an analysis permitting unit configured to permit the analysis unit to analyze the morphological feature of the tubular structure only when the signal received by the reception unit indicates that the position of the center line is acceptable.