WO2019049666A1 - Image processing device, image processing device operation method, and image processing device operation program - Google Patents

Abstract

This image processing device, this image processing device operation method, and this image processing device operation program are each provided with: a processing unit that performs a process for selecting a representative image from among images that are in a group of images captured by a medical instrument introduced into the gastrointestinal tract and that have been determined not to be images capturing a section within the gastrointestinal tract through which the medical instrument has already passed. By this configuration, the present invention is able to provide an image processing device, an image processing device operation method, and an image processing device operation program, with which it is possible to improve observation efficiency.

Description

Image processing apparatus, operation method of image processing apparatus, and operation program of image processing apparatus

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an operation method of the image processing apparatus, and an operation program of the image processing apparatus.

Conventionally, an image group including a plurality of images acquired in chronological order by a capsule endoscope is acquired, and a partial image is extracted from the image group and summarized into an image group having a smaller number than the original image group. An image processing apparatus that performs image summarization processing is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

According to the image processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the efficiency of observation by a medical worker such as a doctor can be improved by excluding an image obtained by imaging the same feature area.

JP, 2015-032127, A

By the way, in the digestive tract, the capsule endoscope may move in the opposite direction to the anus because it moves by peristaltic movement of the digestive tract. The image captured when the capsule endoscope returns is an image obtained by capturing an already captured region of the digestive tract. Such an image is also included in the image summarized by the image processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, and therefore, a part of the digestive tract is overlapped and observed, and there is a problem that the observation efficiency is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of improving observation efficiency, an operation method of the image processing apparatus, and an operation program of the image processing apparatus.

In order to solve the problems described above and to achieve the object, the image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is configured such that the medical device has already passed among images taken by a medical device introduced into the digestive tract The image processing apparatus may further include a processing unit configured to select a representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the processing unit includes an extraction unit that extracts a candidate image that is a candidate for the representative image from the image group, and the medical device A determination unit that determines whether or not the image of the section in the digestive tract which has already passed is imaged, and a candidate image that is determined not to be an image of the section in the digestive tract which the medical device has already passed And a selection unit for selecting a representative image.

Further, in the image processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, whether the processing unit is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract in which the medical device has already passed, with respect to each image included in the image group Characterized in that it has a determination unit that determines whether or not it is, and an extraction unit that extracts the representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed. I assume.

The image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a calculation unit that calculates the moving direction of the medical device when each image included in the image group is captured, and the processing unit is configured to calculate the moving direction. And processing for selecting a representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract which the medical device has already passed.

Further, in the image processing device according to the aspect of the present invention, the calculation unit may calculate the movement direction based on position information of the medical device when each image included in the image group is captured. It features.

In addition, an image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display control unit that causes the display device to display the representative image.

In the image processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the medical device is a capsule endoscope.

Further, the image processing apparatus according to the aspect of the present invention is not an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, among images captured by the medical device introduced into the digestive tract. The display control unit is configured to display a representative image selected from the determined images on the display device.

Further, in the method of operating an image processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, a section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, out of a group of images captured by the medical device introduced into the digestive tract And a processing step of performing processing of selecting a representative image from among the images determined not to be captured images.

Further, in the operation program of the image processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the processing unit is a section in the digestive tract in which the medical device has already passed among the image group captured by the medical device introduced into the digestive tract. It is characterized in that the image processing apparatus is caused to execute a processing step of selecting a representative image from among the images determined not to be captured images.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an image processing apparatus capable of improving observation efficiency, an operation method of the image processing apparatus, and an operation program of the image processing apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an endoscope system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the recording medium shown in FIG. 1 connected to the image processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an in-vivo image. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an in-vivo image. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an in-vivo image. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a configuration that causes a processing device connected via the Internet to execute a part of processing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an image processing apparatus, an operation method of the image processing apparatus, and an operation program of the image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The present invention can be applied to an image processing apparatus that performs image processing on an image captured by a capsule endoscope, an operation method of the image processing apparatus, and an operation program of the image processing apparatus in general.

Further, in the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals as appropriate. In addition, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between dimensions of each element, the ratio of each element, and the like may differ from reality. Even between the drawings, there may be a case where the dimensional relationships and ratios differ from one another.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an endoscope system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope system 1 is a system that acquires an in-vivo image of the inside of the subject 100 using a capsule endoscope 2 as a swallow-type medical device and causes a doctor or the like to observe the in-vivo image. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope system 1 includes, in addition to the capsule endoscope 2, a receiving device 3, an image processing device 4, a portable recording medium 5, an input device 6, and a display device. And 7.

The recording medium 5 is a portable recording medium for transferring data between the receiving device 3 and the image processing device 4 and is configured to be removable from the receiving device 3 and the image processing device 4 respectively. There is.

The capsule endoscope 2 is a capsule endoscope device formed in a size that can be introduced into the organ of the subject 100, introduced into the organ of the subject 100 by oral intake or the like, The in-vivo images are sequentially taken while moving inside the organ by the like. Then, the capsule endoscope 2 sequentially transmits the image data generated by imaging.

The receiving device 3 includes a plurality of receiving antennas 3a to 3h, and receives image data from the capsule endoscope 2 in the subject 100 using at least one of the plurality of receiving antennas 3a to 3h. Then, the receiving device 3 accumulates the received image data in the recording medium 5 inserted into the receiving device 3. The receiving antennas 3a to 3h may be disposed on the body surface of the subject 100 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be disposed on a jacket worn by the subject 100. Further, the number of receiving antennas provided in the receiving device 3 may be one or more, and is not particularly limited to eight.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the recording medium shown in FIG. 1 connected to the image processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 4 includes a reader / writer 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43.

The reader / writer 41 has a function as an image acquisition unit that acquires image data to be processed from the outside. Specifically, when the recording medium 5 is inserted into the reader / writer 41, the reader / writer 41 controls the control unit 43 to store image data stored in the recording medium 5 (capsule type endoscope 2. In-vivo image group including a plurality of in-vivo images captured (acquired) in chronological order in accordance with step 2). Also, the reader / writer 41 transfers the captured in-vivo image group to the control unit 43. Then, the in-vivo image group transferred to the control unit 43 is stored in the storage unit 42.

The storage unit 42 stores the in-vivo image group transferred from the control unit 43. The storage unit 42 also stores various programs (including an image processing program) executed by the control unit 43 and information necessary for processing of the control unit 43. The storage unit 42 is realized by various IC memories such as a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk electrically connected by a built-in or data communication terminal.

The control unit 43 is configured using a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a dedicated processor such as various arithmetic circuits that execute a specific function such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 43 reads a program (including an image processing program) stored in the storage unit 42, and controls the entire operation of the endoscope system 1 according to the program. The control unit 43 has a processing unit 431 and a display control unit 432, as shown in FIG.

The processing unit 431 is a digest that the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed among the image group captured by the capsule endoscope 2 introduced into the digestive tract based on the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2. A process of selecting a representative image from among the images determined not to be an image obtained by imaging a section in the duct is performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing unit 431 includes an extraction unit 4311, a calculation unit 4312, a determination unit 4313, and a selection unit 4314.

The extraction unit 4311 extracts a candidate image that is a candidate for a representative image from the image group. The candidate image is an image captured when the capsule endoscope 2 moves largely in the digestive tract. The extraction unit 4311 compares the images before and after the image group arranged in chronological order to calculate the similarity, and sets the image as a candidate image when the calculated similarity is smaller than a predetermined threshold. In setting a candidate image, a known technique such as scene change determination using a motion vector of an image may be used.

The calculating unit 4312 calculates the moving direction based on the position information of the capsule endoscope 2 when each image included in the image group is captured. Specifically, the calculation unit 4312 calculates position information of the capsule endoscope 2 for each image included in the image group from the signal strengths of the reception signals at the reception antennas 3a to 3h received from the reception device 3. Furthermore, the calculating unit 4312 compares position information of images before and after the image group arranged in chronological order, and calculates a direction (moving direction) in which each image moves from the previous image in chronological order.

The determining unit 4313 determines whether or not the candidate image is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed.

The selection unit 4314 selects, as a representative image, a candidate image determined not to be an image obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed.

The display control unit 432 performs predetermined image processing on the image stored in the storage unit 42 and performs predetermined processing such as thinning of data according to the display range of the image on the display device 7 and gradation processing. After that, the representative image is displayed on the display device 7.

The input device 6 is configured using a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and receives an operation by the user.

The display device 7 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays an image including a representative image and the like under the control of the display control unit 432.

Next, processing in which the image processing device 4 selects a representative image will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, first, the extraction unit 4311 extracts a candidate image from the image group stored in the storage unit 42 by the capsule endoscope 2 via the recording medium 5 (step S1). .

Subsequently, the calculating unit 4312 calculates a reference direction (step S2). FIG. 4 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. When the capsule endoscope 2 moves in the digestive tract as shown in FIG. 4, the direction in which the capsule endoscope 2 moves toward the anus is the reference direction D. Therefore, in the portion where the digestive tract is bent, the reference direction D also changes along the extension direction of the digestive tract. The reference direction D can be calculated, for example, by averaging the moving directions of several images before and after each image.

Then, the processing unit 431 sets an initial value as i = 0 (step S3).

Furthermore, the processing unit 431 increments i (i = i + 1) (step S4).

Subsequently, the calculation unit 4312 calculates the movement direction of the ith image (step S5).

Thereafter, the determining unit 4313 determines whether or not the candidate image is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed. Specifically, the determination unit 4313 compares the movement direction Ai of the ith image with the reference direction D, and determines whether the movement direction Ai of the ith image is positive (step S6). The determining unit 4313 determines that the angle between the movement direction Ai of the i-th image and the reference direction D is less than 90 degrees, and determines that the angle is more than 90 degrees.

In FIG. 4, each arrow (A 1, A 2,...) Indicates the moving direction when each image is captured. In FIG. 4, the moving directions A1, A2 and An + 2 of the 1, 2, and n + 2-th images are positive, and the moving directions An and An + 1 of the n and n + 1-th images are negative.

When the determining unit 4313 determines that the moving direction is positive (step S6: Yes), the selecting unit 4314 selects the candidate image (i-th image) as a representative image (step S7). On the other hand, when the determining unit 4313 determines that the moving direction is not positive (step S6: No), the process proceeds to step S8.

Then, the processing unit 431 determines whether i> N is satisfied (step S8). If i> N is not satisfied (step S8: No), the process returns to step S4, and if i> N, the series of processing ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, among the candidate images, an image whose moving direction is positive is set as a representative image, whereas an image which is determined as a negative moving direction is Not selected as a representative image. That is, the capsule endoscope 2 returns in the digestive tract, and an image captured in the same range in an overlapping manner is excluded from the representative image. As a result, a medical worker such as a doctor does not observe an image captured by overlapping the same range, and the observation efficiency is improved.

(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2 is calculated using the position information of the capsule endoscope 2, but the capsule endoscope using the image captured by the capsule endoscope 2 The moving direction of 2 may be calculated.

5 to 7 illustrate an example of an in-vivo image. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the calculating unit 4312 sets feature points B in the image. The feature point B is, for example, an end of a fold or unevenness in the digestive tract. When the feature point B is moved to the outside of the image from the state shown in FIG. 5 as shown in FIG. 6, the calculator 4312 calculates the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2 as positive. On the other hand, when the feature point B is moved to the inside of the image as shown in FIG. 7 from the state shown in FIG. 5, the calculating unit 4312 calculates the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2 as negative.

Thus, the method of calculating the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2 is not particularly limited. For example, the moving direction of the capsule endoscope 2 may be calculated based on the speed information and the acceleration information detected by the speed sensor and the acceleration sensor of the capsule endoscope 2.

(Modification 2)
In the image processing apparatus 4 according to the second modification of the first embodiment, the determination unit 4313 is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract in which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed, with respect to each image included in the image group It is determined whether the In addition, the extraction unit 4311 extracts a representative image from the image determined not to be an image obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second modification of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, in the second modification, unlike the first embodiment, the process of step S1 is not performed, and the process starts from the process of step S2. Then, the processing from step S2 to step S6 is performed as in the first embodiment. However, in step S6, the determination unit 4313 determines whether or not an image of a section in the digestive tract in which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed is captured for all the images included in the image group.

Subsequently, the selecting unit 4314 selects an image determined not to be an image obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed as a display candidate image (step S11).

After that, the process of step 8 is performed as in the first embodiment, and the processes of steps S5 to S11 are performed on all the images.

Then, the extraction unit 4311 extracts a representative image from the display candidate images (step S12).

As described above, the order of the process of the first embodiment may be switched. According to the second modification, as in the first embodiment, an image processing apparatus capable of improving the observation efficiency can be realized.

Second Embodiment
The image processing apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the processing in the processing unit 431, but the configuration of the image processing apparatus 4 may be the same as that of the first embodiment. Do.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the same processing as in the first embodiment is performed from step S1 to step S4.

Subsequently, the calculation unit 4312 calculates the movement direction and the movement amount of the ith image (step S21).

Thereafter, the determining unit 4313 determines whether or not the candidate image is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed (step S6).

When the determining unit 4313 determines that the moving direction is not positive (step S6: No), the processing unit 431 stores the amount of movement in the reverse direction (step S22). Specifically, the processing unit 431 stores the movement amount calculated by the calculation unit 4312 in the storage unit 42. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 4313 determines that the movement direction is positive (step S6: Yes), the processing unit 431 reads the storage of the storage unit 42 and determines whether or not there is storage of the movement amount in the reverse direction. Is determined (step S23).

If the determination unit 4313 determines that there is storage of the backward movement amount (step S23: Yes), the processing unit 431 determines that the forward movement amount is the reverse movement amount stored in the storage unit 42. It is determined whether it has exceeded (step S24).

FIG. 10 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. In FIG. 10, the direction of each arrow (C1, C2,...) Indicates the movement direction when each image is captured, and the length of each arrow indicates the movement amount when each image is captured. Represent. As shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that when the n-th and n + 1-th images are captured, the capsule endoscope 2 moves in the reverse direction by the movement amount E1. In this case, in the (n + 2) -th image, the amount of movement in the positive direction does not exceed the amount of movement E1 (step S24: No), the process proceeds to step S8.

On the other hand, in the (n + 3) th image, the amount of movement E2 in the forward direction exceeds the amount of movement E1 (step S24: Yes), the processing unit 431 resets the storage of the amount of movement in the reverse direction to the storage unit 42. (Step S25), and the selection unit 4314 selects the candidate image (the n + 3rd image) as a representative image (Step S7). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

In step S23, when the determination unit 4313 determines that there is no storage of the movement amount in the reverse direction (step S23: No), the processing unit 431 selects the candidate image (i-th image) as the selection unit 4314. A representative image is selected (step S7). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the processing unit 431 selects the representative image based on the movement direction and the movement amount, so the capsule endoscope 2 has already been moved even if it has moved in the forward direction. The image (the n + 2th image in FIG. 10) obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract that has passed is also excluded from the representative image. As a result, according to the second embodiment, the observation efficiency is further improved compared to the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
The image processing apparatus 4 according to the third embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the processing in the processing unit 431, but the configuration of the image processing apparatus 4 may be the same as that of the first embodiment. Do.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the same processes as in the second embodiment are performed from step S1 to step S6.

When the determining unit 4313 determines that the moving direction is not positive (step S6: No), the processing unit 431 stores the moving start position in the reverse direction (step S31). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 4313 determines that the moving direction is positive (step S6: Yes), the processing unit 431 reads the storage of the storage unit 42 and determines whether or not there is a storage of the movement start position in the reverse direction. It is determined (step S32).

If the determination unit 4313 determines that there is storage of the movement start position in the reverse direction (step S32: Yes), the processing unit 431 determines that the position of the capsule endoscope 2 is stored in the storage unit 42 in the reverse direction. It is determined whether it has exceeded the movement start position to (step S33).

FIG. 12 is a view showing the movement of the capsule endoscope in the digestive tract. In FIG. 12, the direction of each arrow (F1, F2,...) Indicates the movement direction when each image is captured, and the length of each arrow indicates the movement amount when each image is captured. Represent. As shown in FIG. 12, the storage unit 42 stores the movement start position P0 in the reverse direction. It is assumed that the capsule endoscope 2 is moved in the opposite direction when the nth and n + 1th images are captured. In this case, in the (n + 2) -th image, the position P1 of the capsule endoscope 2 does not exceed the movement start position P0 (step S33: No), the process proceeds to step S8.

On the other hand, in the (n + 3) th image, the position P2 of the capsule endoscope 2 exceeds the movement start position P0 (step S33: Yes), the processing unit 431 stores the movement start position storage unit 42 in the reverse direction. The memory in the memory is reset (step S34), and the selecting unit 4314 selects the candidate image (the n + 3rd image) as a representative image (step S7). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

In step S32, when the determination unit 4313 determines that there is no storage of the movement start position in the reverse direction (step S32: No), the processing unit 431 determines that the candidate image (i-th image) is the candidate image Is selected as a representative image (step S7). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and the same process as that of the first embodiment is performed.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the observation efficiency is further improved than the first embodiment.

Also in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, based on the image captured by the capsule endoscope 2, the value detected by the speed sensor, and the acceleration sensor. The movement direction and the movement amount may be calculated.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the image processing apparatus has the processing unit has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a configuration that causes a processing device connected via the Internet to execute a part of processing. As shown in FIG. 13, at least a part of the processing performed by the processing unit may be executed by the processing device 8A connected via the Internet line. Further, at least a part of the processing performed by the processing unit may be performed on a cloud including a plurality of processing devices (server groups). In this case, the control unit 43A of the image processing apparatus 4A may not have a processing unit. In addition, the display control unit 432A is not an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the capsule endoscope 2 has already passed, out of the image group imaged by the capsule endoscope 2 introduced into the digestive tract. The representative image selected from the determined images is displayed on the display device 7.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments presented and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Reference Signs List 1 endoscope system 2 capsule endoscope 3 receiving device 3a to 3h receiving antenna 4 and 4A image processing device 5 recording medium 6 input device 7 display device 8A processing device 41 reader / writer 42 storage unit 43, 43A control unit 100 Sample 431 Processing unit 432, 432A Display control unit 4311 Extraction unit 4312 Calculation unit 4313 Determination unit 4314 Selection unit

Claims (10)

A process of selecting a representative image from among images determined not to be images obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, among images captured by a medical device introduced into the digestive tract An image processing apparatus comprising a processing unit. The processing unit is
An extraction unit that extracts candidate images that are candidates for the representative image from the image group;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the candidate image is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract already passed by the medical device;
A selection unit that selects, as the representative image, a candidate image determined not to be an image obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The processing unit is
A determination unit that determines whether or not each image included in the image group is an image obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed;
An extraction unit configured to extract the representative image from among images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: A calculation unit that calculates the moving direction of the medical device when each image included in the image group is captured;
The processing unit is characterized by performing processing of selecting a representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract which the medical device has already passed based on the moving direction. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit calculates the movement direction based on position information of the medical device when each image included in the image group is captured. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a display control unit configured to display the representative image on a display device. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the medical device is a capsule endoscope. Display a representative image selected from among images determined not to be images obtained by imaging a section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, among images captured by a medical device introduced into the digestive tract An image processing apparatus comprising a display control unit for displaying The processing unit selects a representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, among the images captured by the medical device introduced into the digestive tract A method of operating an image processing apparatus comprising the steps of: The processing unit selects a representative image from among the images determined not to be images obtained by imaging the section in the digestive tract through which the medical device has already passed, among the images captured by the medical device introduced into the digestive tract An operation program of an image processing apparatus that causes an image processing apparatus to execute a processing step of performing processing.

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