An inter-image operation apparatus has temporal subtraction means for
calculating a temporal subtraction image from two or more sets of base
image data, and history data recording means for recording history data
concerning the calculated temporal subtraction image in a database server
and concurrently attaching the same history data to the data on the
temporal subtraction image. The history data may include information
identifying the two or more base images, the date of calculating the
temporal subtraction image, the ID number of the patient, the name of the
photographed portion of the patient, the photographing angle of the
patient, etc. A desired temporal subtraction image may be immediately
fetched from the database server by referring to the history data
attached thereto if that temporal subtraction image had already been
obtained, instead of recalculating that temporal subtraction image. Thus,
the diagnostic process of comparing two or more images of an identical
object can be carried out efficiently.