A method is disclosed for identification of a contrasted blood vessel in digital 3D image data, the method using a generic region-growing algorithm with several steps, for which among other things seed points are searched for and, in dependence on a current threshold value, are assigned to corresponding seed point sets. The number of seed points which are associated during a specific section of the method to the same seed point set with the threshold value is recorded and a leakage signal is produced if the number exceeds a maximum value. When the leakage signal occurs, those seed points which have been associated with the threshold value during that section are not stored as vessel voxels, the method is terminated at the location of the leakage and the remaining method is continued.