Disease diagnostic apparatus, image processing method in the same apparatus, and medium storing program associated with the same method

Abstract

An image processing method for diagnosing a disease using a captured image of an affected area, includes separating the captured image memorized into a brightness component and a color information component; separating the brightness component into a base component and a detail component; performing a highlighting process on the detail component; and restoring a brightness component from the base component and a highlighted detail component, and then generating a highlighted image using a restored brightness component and the color information component. The highlighting process includes highlighting the detail component depending on likelihood of vessel of a region to be diagnosed. In the highlighting process, the color information component that corresponds to a direction of a red-based color in a first color space is acquired; a predetermined range of the color information component is normalized; and a likelihood (V) of vessel of the region as acquired via the normalization is reflected in a highlighting coefficient of the detail component to generate a highlighted detail component image.