Abstract: An ultrasound image having a good image quality is generated in the neighborhood of a puncture needle without lowering the image quality of the whole ultrasound image. A first echo signal received by transmitting first ultrasonic waves focused on an imaging target position and a second echo signal received by transmitting second ultrasonic waves having the depth of the focal point positioned at a uniform position are obtained, the weights of the first echo signal and the second echo signal are determined according to the focal point positions of the respective ultrasonic waves, and weighted addition is performed to generate a corrected image.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in which an ultrasonic wave is transmitted toward a subject by an ultrasound probe, an ultrasound image is generated by a diagnostic apparatus body based on reception data thus obtained and an examination is performed based on the ultrasound image, including a display unit on which a plurality of examination portions corresponding to a series of examinations relating to ultrasound diagnosis are displayed in an order of time series in a single screen at a time, and a controller which highlights an examination portion corresponding to an examination being executed among the plurality of examination portions in the display unit, in which each of the plurality of examination portions is displayed as a body mark which indicates an examination position by the ultrasound probe.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an operating unit for inputting an instruction from an operator; and a controller for eliminating at least a part of the puncture guide line, which has been displayed so as to be superimposed on the ultrasound image, when an instruction for non-display of the puncture guide line is given through the operating unit during the freeze operation, and automatically returning the eliminated puncture guide line and displaying the eliminated puncture guide line so as to be superimposed on the real-time ultrasound image at the time of returning from the freeze operation to the live operation.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a monitor displaying an ultrasound image, an operating unit receiving an operating instruction from an operator and a control unit controlling a diagnostic apparatus body. The control unit causes measurement calipers each having a measurement line extending linearly in a vertical direction and a gate portion including an upper gate line and a lower gate line which are disposed parallel to each other on the measurement line to be displayed in a superimposed manner on the ultrasound image displayed on the monitor based on the operating instruction from the operating unit, and measurement is sequentially performed at more than one measurement site using the gate portion of each of the measurement calipers which is capable of rotation and change of the distance between the upper gate line and the lower gate line.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a monitor simultaneously displaying in blocks a series of examination items on an ultrasound diagnosis within a screen in chronological order and a controller causing the monitor to highlight a block of an examination item being currently executed among blocks indicating the series of examination items displayed on the monitor.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided with an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic image generating section, a head mounted display (HMD), and an orientation measurement section. The ultrasonic probe has two-dimensionally arranged ultrasonic transducers. The ultrasonic image generating section generates a 2D ultrasonic image representing a cross section of a three-dimensional area inside of a patient's body. The HMD has an orientation sensor for outputting signals corresponding to motion of the HMD and a projector for projecting images and the like within the view of an operator Op. The orientation measurement section measures rotation direction and rotation angle of the operator Op's head (HMD). A plurality of cross sections of the three-dimensional area inside of the patient's body for which the 2D image is generated is preliminary set, and the generated 2D ultrasonic image is switched according to the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the HMD.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a region of interest setting unit for setting a region of interest containing at least part of a liver and at least part of a kidney in a B mode image, a controller for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams to obtain reception data for measuring a sound speed, a sound speed map producer for producing a sound speed map of a liver region based on the reception data for measuring a sound speed, and a hepatorenal contrast calculator for calculating an average luminance in the liver region and an average luminance in a kidney region of the region of interest and calculating a hepatorenal contrast based on the calculated average luminances.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes: a convex type ultrasound probe including a transducer array with a curvature; an image producer for producing a B mode image based on reception data; an abdominal wall detector for detecting an abdominal wall of the subject on the B mode image; a controller for obtaining reception data for a sound speed map by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams for a sound speed map through the transducer array by convex scan when a shape of the abdominal wall substantially corresponds to the curvature of the transducer array and by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams for a sound speed map through the transducer array by linear scan when the shape of the abdominal wall is substantially linear; and a sound speed map producer for producing a sound speed map based on the obtained reception data for a sound speed map.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes plural ultrasound transducers which perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves toward a target site of a subject containing a puncture needle. A method of transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave uses the ultrasound transducers. The apparatus and the method form an ultrasonic beam to be transmitted from a transmit aperture set on the ultrasound transducers, acquire information relating to a specular-reflective component of the ultrasonic beam in the puncture needle, set a first receive aperture different from the transmit aperture set on the ultrasound transducers on the basis of the information relating to the specular-reflective component of the ultrasonic beam, and process an ultrasonic echo signal received by the ultrasound transducers using the first receive aperture.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe, an image producer, a monitor, a position designating unit for designating a target position when paracentesis is performed, an insertion position calculating unit for calculating an insertion position from information on the target position designated by the position designating unit and a predetermined insertion angle and an insertion position display unit for displaying the insertion position calculated by the insertion position calculating unit. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus ensures that a puncture needle inserted from a position away from an ultrasound probe to reduce the insertion angle so as to be imaged at a higher definition can also reach a target site.

Abstract: The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound image generation apparatus and method transmit ultrasound waves to a subject into which a puncture tool is inserted, receive reflected waves reflected from the subject and the puncture tool, and generate echo signals of time-sequential frames based on the received reflected waves, and generate an ultrasound image of the subject based on the generated echo signals. These apparatus and method generate a differential echo signal between time-sequential frames from the echo signals, perform a tip detection process based on the differential echo signal to thereby detect at least one tip candidate including a tip end of the puncture tool, highlight a tip candidate of the puncture tool detected to thereby generate a tip image, and display the tip image of the highlighted puncture tool so as to be superimposed on the generated ultrasound image.

Abstract: An ultrasound image having a good image quality is generated in the neighborhood of a puncture needle without lowering the image quality of the whole ultrasound image. A first echo signal received by transmitting first ultrasonic waves focused on an imaging target position and a second echo signal received by transmitting second ultrasonic waves having the depth of the focal point positioned at a uniform position are obtained, the weights of the first echo signal and the second echo signal are determined according to the focal point positions of the respective ultrasonic waves, and weighted addition is performed to generate a corrected image.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided with an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic image generating section, a head mounted display (HMD), and an orientation measurement section. The ultrasonic probe has two-dimensionally arranged ultrasonic transducers. The ultrasonic image generating section generates a 2D ultrasonic image representing a cross section of a three-dimensional area inside of a patient's body. The HMD has an orientation sensor for outputting signals corresponding to motion of the HMD and a projector for projecting images and the like within the view of an operator Op. The orientation measurement section measures rotation direction and rotation angle of the operator Op's head (HMD). A plurality of cross sections of the three-dimensional area inside of the patient's body for which the 2D image is generated is preliminary set, and the generated 2D ultrasonic image is switched according to the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the HMD.