A tissue-image creating unit creates a tissue image including depth values
by volume rendering from three-dimensional tissue data stored in a
three-dimensional data storage unit. A blood-flow data converting unit
scatters a blood flow in three-dimensional blood-flow data stored in the
three-dimensional data storage unit into particles, and converts the
three-dimensional blood-flow data into three-dimensional particle data. A
blood-flow image creating unit creates a blood-flow image including depth
values from the three-dimensional particle data. A composite-image
creating unit then creates a composite image by coordinating the order of
rendering particles and tissue based on the depth values of respective
pixels included in the tissue image and the depth values of respective
particles included in the blood-flow image. A display control unit then
controls display of the composite image so as to be displayed in order
onto a monitor included in an output unit.