Image processing apparatus, microscope system, endoscope system, and image processing method

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring interface configured to acquire image information representing an image acquired by irradiating a gland duct with excitation light and observing fluorescence generated in the gland duct; and

a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:

compute a value corresponding to intensity of the fluorescence as fluorescence intensity based on the image information; and

determine whether or not an endocrine cell exists in the gland duct based on the fluorescence intensity computed, and determine abnormality of the gland duct based on a determination result of the endocrine cell.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to compute a luminance value of each pixel in the image, as the value corresponding to intensity of the fluorescence.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to compare fluorescence intensities of pixels in the image, or a total value or representative value of the fluorescence intensities of the pixels in the image, with a specified reference value, and accordingly determine whether or not the endocrine cell exists in the gland duct.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to extract, from the image, areas each including a plurality of pixels in which the fluorescence intensity is a specified reference value or more, and to determine whether or not the endocrine cell exists in the gland duct based on a characteristic amount of each of the areas.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is configured to binarize the image based on the fluorescence intensity and accordingly extract the area.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the processor is configured to set a reference value in binarizing the image, based on the fluorescence intensity of each pixel in the image.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is configured to compute the characteristic amount of each of the areas using at least any one of an area or fluorescence intensity of each of the areas, the number of the areas, and perimeter, circumscribed distance, or roundness of each of the areas.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to:

generate an optical spectrum of each pixel in the image;

extract an area of pixels in which the optical spectrum has a specified characteristic; and

compute the fluorescence intensity for the area extracted.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring interface configured to acquire image information representing an image acquired by irradiating a gland duct with excitation light and observing fluorescence generated in the gland duct; and

a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:

generate an optical spectrum of each pixel in the image based on the image information;

extract an area of pixels in which the optical spectrum has a specified characteristic; and

determine whether or not an endocrine cell exists in the gland duct based on a characteristic amount of the area extracted, and determine abnormality of the gland duct based on a determination result of the endocrine cell.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,

wherein a wavelength band of the excitation light is 300 nm or more and 400 nm or less, and

wherein the processor is configured to extract an area of pixels in which the optical spectrum is observed in a wavelength band of 480 nm or more and 700 nm or less.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring interface configured to acquire image information representing an image acquired by irradiating a gland duct with excitation light and observing fluorescence generated in the gland duct; and

a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:

generate a wavelength limited image in which a wavelength component of each pixel in the image is limited to a specified wavelength band;

extract an area of pixels having a luminance value that is a specified value or more from the wavelength limited image; and

determine whether or not an endocrine cell exists in the gland duct based on a characteristic amount of the area extracted, and determine abnormality of the gland duct based on a determination result of the endocrine cell.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the gland duct is a gland duct of an organ of any one of stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and prostate gland, and

wherein upon determining that no endocrine cell exists in the gland duct or the number of endocrine cells existing in the gland duct is smaller than a specified number, the the processor is configured to determine that the gland duct has an abnormality.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the gland duct is a gland duct of esophagus, and

wherein upon determining that an endocrine cell exists in the gland duct, the processor is configured to determine the gland duct has an abnormality.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a memory configured to record a lookup table in which the characteristic amount of each of the areas is associated with at least one of degree of abnormality, stage of cancer, depth of cancer invasion, and degree of cancer metastasis in the gland duct,

wherein the processor is configured to refer to the lookup table, and to determine at least one of the degree of abnormality, stage of cancer, depth of cancer invasion, and degree of cancer metastasis according to the characteristic amount of each of the areas.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gland duct is unstained.

16. A microscope system comprising:

the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ;

a stage on which a specimen is to be placed;

an illumination optical system configured to apply excitation light to the stage;

an objective optical system provided facing the stage to allow light from a direction of the specimen to be incident thereon; and

an imaging sensor configured to capture observation light of the specimen which has passed through the objective optical system, and to generate image information.

17. The microscope system according to claim 16 ,

wherein the imaging sensor is configured to capture an image in a plurality of wavelength bands different from one another.

18. An endoscope system comprising:

the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ;

an illumination optical system configured to apply excitation light to a specimen;

an objective optical system provided facing the specimen to allow light from a direction of the specimen to be incident thereon; and

an imaging sensor configured to capture observation light of the specimen which has passed through the objective optical system, and to generate image information.

19. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring image information representing an image acquired by irradiating a gland duct with excitation light and by observing fluorescence generated in the gland duct;

computing a value corresponding to intensity of the fluorescence as fluorescence intensity based on the image information; and

determining whether or not an endocrine cell exists in the gland duct based on the fluorescence intensity computed, and determining abnormality of the gland duct based on a determination result of the endocrine cell.