Patent ID: 7959572
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: A61B,G01S,G06T

Abstract:
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic probe for transmitting ultrasonic waves to an object to be inspected and receiving ultrasonic echoes generated by reflection of the ultrasonic waves in the object to output reception signals; signal processing means for performing at least envelope detection processing on the reception signals outputted from said ultrasonic probe to generate envelope data; boundary detecting means for detecting two boundaries representing intima media of a blood vessel; and IMT (intima media thickness) calculating means for calculating an IMT of the blood vessel based on the two boundaries detected by said boundary detecting means; wherein said boundary detecting means searches for rising regions, where a value of the envelope data increases along a measurement line, based on one of difference calculation and differential calculation of the envelope data, calculates amounts of change in the value of the envelope data between both ends of the rising regions, and compares the amounts of change in the value of the envelope data with a threshold value to detect the two boundaries.