SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMBINING ANATOMIC STRUCTURE AND METABOLIC ACTIVITY FOR OBJECT

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow visualization of the inside of the colon from the images obtained through colonoscopy without inflicting any discomforts involved in colonoscopy on a patient. SOLUTION: A method for combining an anatomic structure and metabolic activity for an object is described. The method comprises a process (130) for acquiring a first set of images by scanning the object using a first modality, a process (132) for acquiring a second set of images by scanning the object using a second modality, a process (134) for fusing the first and second sets of images to form a fused space, a process (136) for identifying a region of interest (ROI) in the fused space corresponding to an organ of interest of the object, and a process (138) for providing a viewing path through the fused space at least partially following the ROI. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI