Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a transmission and reception unit, an addition unit, an image generation unit, and a control unit. The transmission and reception unit performs a set of ultrasound transmission and reception in a first mode or a plurality of sets of ultrasound transmission and reception in a second mode along the same scan line. Each set of ultrasound transmission and reception is constituted of repeated ultrasound transmission and reception sequentially performed in reversed phase polarity along the same scan line. The addition unit adds reflected wave data in the second mode. The image generation unit generates an image by using reflected wave data in the first mode or in the second mode. The control unit switches the first mode and the second mode. The transmission and reception unit performs a set or a plurality of sets of ultrasound transmission and reception according to a switching operation.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes a transmission unit, a reception unit, a generator, and a display controller. The transmission unit causes an ultrasonic probe to transmit a displacement-producing ultrasonic wave and causes the probe to transmit a displacement-observing ultrasonic wave. The reception unit generates reflected-wave data based on a reflected wave received by the probe. The generator calculates displacement at each of a plurality of positions in the scan area over a plurality of time phases, based on the reflected-wave data, determines a time phase when the calculated displacement is substantially maximum, for each of the positions, and generates image data representing positions where the determined time phases are substantially the same as each other, among the positions. The display controller superimposes an image based on the image data on a medical image corresponding to an area including the scan area.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment include a transmitter/receiver, a signal processor, and an image generator. The transmitter/receiver causes an ultrasonic probe to transmit on each scanning line at least three ultrasonic pulses, the three ultrasonic pulses being: a first ultrasonic pulse including at least one frequency component and being transmitted with a first phase; a second ultrasonic pulse including the frequency component and being transmitted with a second phase different from the first phase by 180 degrees; and a third ultrasonic pulse including the frequency component and being transmitted with a third phase different from the first phase and the second phase by 90 degrees and generates a plurality of reception signals corresponding to the respective ultrasonic pulses. The signal processor combines the plurality of the reception signals and generates a composite signal. The image generator generates ultrasonic image data.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a transceiver part, a signal processing part and an image generation part. The transceiver part controls an ultrasonic probe to perform a first and second scans. The first scan transmits a first ultrasonic wave and an ultrasonic wave, obtained by modulating an amplitude of the first ultrasonic wave, to scanning lines distributed three dimensionally, and receives first reflected waves. The second scan transmits a second ultrasonic wave to scanning lines distributed two dimensionally during the first scan, and receives second reflective waves. The transceiver part obtains first and second reception signals based on the first and second reflected waves. The signal processing part generates composite signals by combining the first reception signals. The image generation part generates three dimensional ultrasonic image data based on the composite signals, and two dimensional ultrasonic image data based on the second reception signals.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes: a transmitting and receiving unit that transmits and receives an ultrasound wave to and from a subject; a first image data generating unit that generates first image data based on a first parameter, from a reception signal received by the transmitting and receiving unit; a second image data generating unit that generates second image data having an image taking region of which at least a part overlaps with that of the first image data and being based on a second parameter that is different from the first parameter, from a reception signal received by the transmitting and receiving unit; and an image processing unit that calculates a feature amount from at least such a part of the second image data that overlaps with the first image data and corrects the overlapping part of the first image data on a basis of the calculated feature amount.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a calculating unit, an obtaining unit, a determining unit, and a controlling unit. By using a plurality of pieces of three-dimensional ultrasound image data in a time series corresponding to a three-dimensional region including a myocardium of a subject, the calculating unit calculates first movement information indicating a movement of the myocardium by tracking a movement of a region of interest that corresponds to the myocardium and that is set in each of the plurality of pieces of three-dimensional image data. The obtaining unit obtains direction information indicating a direction of a myocardial fiber in the myocardium. The determining unit determines second movement information indicating a movement of the myocardium with respect to the direction of the myocardial fiber, on the basis of the first movement information and the direction information. The controlling unit causes a display unit to display the second movement information.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a transmitter/receiver, an adder/subtractor and an image generating unit. The transmitter/receiver performs a first set of ultrasound transmission/reception and a second set of ultrasound transmission/reception, on a same scanning line of an imaging region of a subject administered with a contrast agent, for a plurality of sets, to output reflected wave data for the plurality of the sets, the first set of the ultrasound transmission/reception performing amplitude-modulated or amplitude- and phase-modulated ultrasound transmission transmitted a plurality of times and receiving reflected waves, and the second set of the ultrasound transmission/reception being transmission/reception whose phase modulation being different from phase modulation of the first set of the ultrasound transmission/reception. The adder/subtractor adds or subtracts the reflected wave data for the plurality of the sets.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes an obtaining unit, an image generating unit, and a controlling unit. The obtaining unit obtains setting information in which a plurality of types of ultrasound image data are set as display-purpose image data and in which a percentage of a time period to display the display-purpose image data is set for each of the plurality of types. The image generating unit generates, along a time series, each of the plurality of types of ultrasound image data set in the setting information. The controlling unit exercises control so that the plurality of types of ultrasound image data generated by the image generating unit are stored into a storage unit and exercises control so that the display-purpose image data is displayed on a display unit according to the percentage set in the setting information for each of the types.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, transmission unit transmitting a first ultrasonic wave for generating a shear wave in an object to a first region and a second ultrasonic wave to a second region, reception unit generating a reception signal based on the second ultrasonic wave, displacement amount calculation unit calculating a displacement amount of a tissue accompanying propagation of the shear wave to the second region by using the reception signal, arrival time decision unit deciding an arrival time when the shear wave has arrived at each position in the second region, based on a temporal change in the displacement amount concerning the each position, and image generation unit generating based on the arrival time and predetermined pixel values corresponding to the arrival times, a shear wave arrival time image with the pixel values being assigned corresponding to the arrival times.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a transmitter/receiver, a signal processor, and an image generator. The transmitter/receiver transmits, at least once in each scanning line, a first ultrasound pulse and a second ultrasound pulse whose amplitude corresponds to amplitude of the first ultrasound pulse modulated at a given ratio and acquires a received-signal group consisting of multiple received signals. The signal processor acquires, on the basis of a coefficient that reduces the energy of a first composite signal that is obtained by combining, in accordance with the given ratio, multiple received signals contained in the first received signal group acquired by the transmitter/receiver, a second composite signal by combining multiple received signals contained in a second received signal group that is acquired by the transmitter/receiver and that is different from the first received signal group. The image generator generates an ultrasound image based on the second composite signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a first reception echo obtaining unit, a second reception echo obtaining unit, a reception echo combining unit, and an image generating unit. The first reception echo obtaining unit transmits a plurality of ultrasonic pulses having frequency spectra different from one another to an object, and obtains each of reception echoes corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic pulses. The second reception echo obtaining unit transmits an ultrasonic pulse having the same frequency component characteristics as an combined pulse obtained by combining the plurality of ultrasonic pulses, and to obtain an reception echo. The reception echo combining unit combines the reception echoes obtained by the first reception echo obtaining unit and the reception echo obtained by the second reception echo obtaining unit to generate a combined signal. The image generating unit generates an image of echoes reflected from the object on the basis of the combined signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a setting unit, a transmitter, a signal processing unit, and an image generating unit. The setting unit sets a plurality of ROIs within a scanning region. The transmitter transmits an ultrasonic wave for displacement generation on a plurality of transmission conditions corresponding to the respective ROIs from an ultrasonic probe and transmits an ultrasonic wave for observation that observes a displacement generated by each transmission of the ultrasonic wave for displacement generation, from the ultrasonic probe a plurality of times. The signal processing unit analyzes a plurality of pieces of reflected wave data, acquires a plurality of pieces of displacement information, and calculates distribution information on the respective transmission conditions. The image generating unit generates a plurality of pieces of image data based on the pieces of distribution information and composite image data by composing the pieces of image data.

Abstract: In time phases except a first time phase, a contour tracking part tracks the position of a region of interest based on image data acquired in each of the time phases. A re-tracking part receives correction of the position of the region of interest in a second time phase, and obtains the position of the corrected region of interest in and after the second time phase based on the image data acquired in and after the second time phase. From position information of the region of interest in and before the second time phase and position information of the corrected region of interest in and after the second time phase, a position calculator obtains position information of the region of interest in all the time phases. A computing part obtains motion information of a tissue within the region of interest based on the position information of the region of interest.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment comprises a data acquisition unit configured to execute ultrasonic scanning for a tissue region throughout a predetermined period and acquire a plurality of image data respectively corresponding to phases in the predetermined period; a positional information acquisition unit configured to acquire positional information of a region of interest in the tissue region at least one phase in the period by executing tracking processing using at least part of the plurality of image data; a shape information calculation unit configured to calculate shape information corresponding to the region of interest at least one phase in the period by using positional information of the region of interest at the at least one phase; and an output unit configured to output the shape information at the at least one phase.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a motion information generating unit and a control unit. The motion information generating unit generates first motion information on cardiac wall motion of at least one of a left ventricle and a left atrium and second motion information on cardiac wall motion of at least one of a right ventricle and a right atrium, on the basis of a first volume data group and a second volume data group; generates first correction information and second correction information by correcting the first motion information and the second motion information such that the first motion information and the second motion information are substantially synchronized with each other, and generates a motion information image in which the first correction information and the second correction information are arranged along the time axis. The control unit controls to display the motion image information.

Abstract: Three slices, i.e., Basal, Mid, and Apical slices, which correspond to clinically useful ASE segmentation are designated, and the positions of the three slices are tracked through at least one cardiac cycle by performing three-dimensional speckle tracking in the remaining time phases. Three C-mode projection images concerning the tracked positions are reconstructed. In addition, arbitrary myocardial wall motion parameters at the tracked positions are computed and displayed upon being superimposed on C-mode images or projected/displayed on a polar map. As a C-mode projection image method, one of the following techniques can be used detecting and projecting only movement components perpendicular to slices determined in an initial time phase, detecting and projecting average movement components of the respective walls, and tracking and projecting each myocardial position. The obtained C-mode images are simultaneously displayed together with markers indicating the positions of long-axis images and C-mode images.

Abstract: In general, according to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an image generating unit configured to generate medical images from a multislice which covers an area including the heart of an object. Each slice is almost perpendicular to the long axis of the heart. Each medical image is a short-axis image of the heart. A series of medical images captured at different times correspond to each slice. The embodiment generates a polar map associated with myocardial motion indices from a plurality of medical images. A polar map is segmented into segments. The embodiment calculates the average value of motion indices for each segment. The utility of an average value depends on the range covered by each segment. This embodiment matches the boundary of a segment with the position of a vein. This prevents a deterioration in the utility of average values due to the influences of veins.

Abstract: Based on medical image data acquired in each time phase included in a one-cycle interval, first tracking part tracks the position of a first region of interest set in a first time phase in each time phase and tracks the position of a second region of interest set in a second time phase in each time phase. Based on position information of the first region of interest and the second region of interest in each time phase, position correction part obtains position information of a region of interest in each time phase so that it passes through the position of the first region of interest in the first time phase and the position of the second region of interest in the second time phase. Motion-information calculator obtains motion information of a tissue based on the obtained position information.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 comprises an ultrasonic probe 2 for transmitting the ultrasound while three-dimensionally scanning, and receiving ultrasound reflected from biological tissue, an image processor 5 (and a signal processor 4) for generating image data for an MPR image based on results received thereof, an information memory 6 for storing cross-sectional-position information D showing a cross-section of this MPR image, a display part 81, and a controller 9. The image processor 5 generates image data for the new MPR image for the relevant cross-sectional position, based on the cross-sectional position shown in the cross-sectional-position information D1 obtained when the MPR image was obtained in the past and the received results obtained by the new three-dimensional scan performed with the ultrasonic probe 2. The controller 9 causes the display part 81 to display the new MPR image.

Abstract: A combined wave having a plurality of frequencies and phases is transmitted to each of a plurality of scan lines in at least three rates by alternately inverting a phase by 180°. An obtained echo signal is received for each rate. The echo signals are added by using arbitrary weighting coefficients so that 0 is obtained by using the polarity as the sign. Ultrasonic image data is generated by using a difference tone component contained in the added echo signal.