Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus and method wherein both imaging of a contrast effect and imaging of a tissue appearance before and after inflow of a contrast medium can be realized on condition that low-power transmission and a high frame rate are maintained. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a transmission/reception unit for transmitting subject ultrasonic waves with a band substantially centered at a fundamental frequency and generating a received signal based on an ultrasonic echo from the subject, a harmonic unit for extracting a signal of a harmonic component of the fundamental frequency included in the received signal and extracting a signal of the fundamental component with the band substantially centered the fundamental frequency included in the received signal, and a display unit for generating a display image based on the extracted harmonic and fundamental components.

Abstract: Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a transceiver unit, an adding processor, a filter, and an image processor. The transceiver unit insonifies an object injected with a contrast agent via an ultrasound transmission signal transmitted at a fundamental frequency f0 with at least two transmission rates. The adding processor adds a first component of the ultrasound echo signal and second component of the ultrasound echo signal. The first component is transmitted at a first rate of the at least two transmission rates and the second component is transmitted at a second rate of the at least two transmission rates. The filter suppresses at least a first frequency band of an addition result that is centered about a frequency 2·f0. The image processor then generates image data based on a suppressing result.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic pulses relevant to each scanning line twice, for example, while changing a center frequency of a bandwidth; acquires an electrical receiving signal that corresponds to an ultrasonic echo for such each transmission; applies filter processing with characteristics in accordance with a bandwidth of a harmonic component of a respective one of two receiving signals received for each scanning line; synthesizes the thus processed two receiving signals; and generates/displays an image by using the synthesized receiving signal. In this manner, the resolution and signal intensity in a depth direction is improved by broadening the bandwidth of a harmonic component provided for image generation, and a harmonic image having an occurrence of a motion artifact restrained is provided.

Abstract: A transmitting/receiving unit transmits an ultrasound wave to an object at a first rate in accordance with a first code, transmit an ultrasound wave to the object at a second rate in accordance with a second code complementary to the first code, and receives the first and second reception signals. The first and second reception signals are convoluted in the second and first codes respectively. The phase difference between the two signals represents the motion of the tissue of the object between the first and second rates. The first or second reception signal is compensated on the basis of the phase difference. The compensated first and second reception signals are convoluted in the first and second codes respectively. The two signals are added to generate a third reception signal. Image data is generated on the basis of the third reception signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe. A transmitter supplies a transmission pulse to the ultrasonic probe to repeatedly transmit an ultrasonic wave to each of a plurality of scanning lines. A receiver receives echoes of the ultrasonic waves through the ultrasonic probe and obtaining a plurality of received signals for each of the plurality of scanning lines. A displacement estimating means estimates a relative change accompanying a tissue motion between received signals associated with each of scanning lines. A displacement correcting means corrects the received signals in accordance with the change detected by the displacement estimating means. A harmonic component extracting means extracts a harmonic component from the received signals corrected by the displacement correcting means. A display means generates an ultrasonic image on the basis of the harmonic component extracted by the harmonic component extracting means. A monitor displays the image generated by the display means.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic image processing apparatus in which a three-dimensional region of interest (ROI) is clearly displayed by using a two-dimensional image while taking an advantage of a system for acquiring and displaying image data in a three-dimensional manner, and further, a three-dimensional position is set simply. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a 2D array probe for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave for a diagnosis site of a patient's body in a three-dimensional manner, thereby obtaining a receiving signal; a apparatus main body for generating a three-dimensional image of a diagnosis site based on the thus obtained receiving signal; and a monitor for displaying a three-dimensional image thereof.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a transmitter for transmitting an ultrasonic wave pulse having peaks at fundamental frequencys, and a receiver for receiving an echo signal corresponding to the ultrasonic wave pulse. The echo signal contains a difference frequency component as well as a fundamental frequency component centered on a fundamental frequency. A difference frequency component is extracted by attenuating the fundamental frequency component of the echo signal. Ultrasonic image data is generated on the basis of the extracted difference frequency component.

Abstract: A three-dimensional ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus has a feature that: transmits ultrasonic beams three-dimensionally to a diagnostic site including a left ventricle of the heart in a subject being examined; receives ultrasonic echo signals thereof; generates three-dimensional data of the diagnostic site based on the received ultrasonic echo signals; determines a cardiac cavity region in generated three-dimensional data; and generates a display image such that information at a myocardial site of the heart is identified by converting a value of the cardiac cavity region in the determined three-dimensional data to a different value. The feature enables the apparatus to provide information on three-dimensional myocardial muscle blood flow useful for clinical diagnosis.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus sets transmission conditions that are different depending on a scanning direction so that a transmission sound field in a scanning region is uniform in a scanning of ultrasonic beams in one frame; transmits ultrasonic beams to a subject under the thus set transmission conditions; and samples a harmonics component from a ultrasonic echo signal reflected from a subject of the thus transmitted ultrasonic beams, thereby obtaining a harmonics ultrasonic image of the subject. According to this ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, in the case of harmonics imaging as well, an entirely uniform image quality with its less non-uniformity is achieved, and information useful for diagnosis can be provided on a clinical application site.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe. A transmitter supplies a transmission pulse to the ultrasonic probe to repeatedly transmit an ultrasonic wave to each of a plurality of scanning lines. A receiver receives echoes of the ultrasonic waves through the ultrasonic probe and obtaining a plurality of received signals for each of the plurality of scanning lines. A displacement estimating means estimates a relative change accompanying a tissue motion between received signals associated with each of scanning lines. A displacement correcting means corrects the received signals in accordance with the change detected by the displacement estimating means. A harmonic component extracting means extracts a harmonic component from the received signals corrected by the displacement correcting means. A display means generates an ultrasonic image on the basis of the harmonic component extracted by the harmonic component extracting means. A monitor displays the image generated by the display means.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus has an ultrasonic probe having a plurality of arrayed transducer elements, a transmitting beam former for generating driving signals for driving transducer elements, and a receiving beam former for generating receiving signals based on echo signals received by transducer elements. The transmitting beam former generates driving signals so that phases of ultrasonic waves generated from transducer elements are aligned at multiple focal points. An image processor extracts harmonic components from receiving signals of ultrasonic waves having multiple focal points, and generates ultrasonic image data based on the harmonic components.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including an ultrasonic probe, and a transmitter/receiver section for scanning a three dimensional region of a detected object with ultrasonic beams by driving the ultrasonic probe and receiving echo signals reflected from an object within the three dimensional region. An organ of the object is detected and three dimensional figure image data depicting a figure of the detected organ in the three dimensional region are formed based on the received echo signals. Also determined from the received echo signals is a function of the detected organ, for example by obtaining and thresholding tissue Doppler image data or harmonic image data, and based on the determined function, three dimensional functional image data depicting the function of the detected organ in the three dimensional region are formed. The three dimensional figure image data are displayed by a wire frame method, a bull's eye map method and/or a semi-transparent surface model method.

Abstract: By scanning a cross-section of an inside of a subject through an organ of interest with an ultrasonic wave it is possible to generate tissue cross-sectional data relating to the cross-section and motion velocity data relating to the region of interest. The motion velocity data is comprised of transmit/receive direction components of the ultrasonic wave. In order to obtain a motion velocity, or its near-motion velocity, of a direction of interest, it is necessary to angle-compensate the motion velocity data in accordance with a given direction of interest. According to the present invention, the direction-of-interest necessary to effect the angle compensation is assumed based on the contour of the organ of interest which can be extracted from the tissue cross-sectional data.

Abstract: An ultrasound beam is repeatedly transmitted and received to and from an object, so that an echo signal is repeatedly obtained. A velocity of each of a plurality of portions on the ultrasound beam is calculated based on the echo signal. A position of at least one specific portion of the plurality of portions is tracked in as it changes with the passage of time based on the velocity to obtain a path where the specific portion moves. Conventionally the change of brightness of the M-mode image was tracked to obtain the path. According to the present invention, since the path is obtained based on the velocity having high resolution, the accuracy of track can be improved.