Abnormal shadow detecting method, apparatus, and program

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a treatment not to deteriorate the detecting accuracy at high speed while considering an anatomical feature of a photographic subject in an abnormal shadow detecting process of digital medical images. SOLUTION: While a candidate extraction means 10 extracts a candidate Ci of an abnormal shadow on the photographic subject in a medical image P, and the amount calculating means 20 of the feature calculates a plurality of feature amounts Aij in which abnormal shadow likeness is reflected based on images nearby each candidate Ci, a means 30 for obtaining anatomical information acquires an anatomical structure by obtaining anatomical information I of the photographic subject, and a means 40 for creating a weighting coefficient map configures the weighting coefficient to the feature amount, for which the anatomical feature of the photographic subject is considered on each position of the subject based on the information I, and creates the weighting coefficient map Mk, and a weighting calculation means 50 weights the feature amount of each candidate Ci based on the position of the candidate and the coefficient map Mk, and an abnormal shadow extraction means 60 extracts an abnormal shadow Q from the candidate Ci based on the weighted feature amount A'ij. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI