Patent ID: 8444565
Filing Date: 2013-05-21
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic probe including plural ultrasonic transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves to an object to be inspected according to drive signals, and receiving ultrasonic echoes propagating from the object to output reception signals; measuring means for measuring an inside radius of a blood vessel within the object and blood flow velocities in plural locations in a radial direction substantially at the same time based on the reception signals outputted from said ultrasonic probe; and computing means for computing a velocity gradient in the radial direction at an inner wall point of the blood vessel by differentiating the blood flow velocities measured by said measuring means in the radial direction, and computing a pressure gradient at ends of a predetermined length of the blood vessel based on the computed velocity gradient, the inside radius of the blood vessel measured by said measuring means, and a predetermined viscosity of blood, wherein said measuring means computes the pressure gradient ΔP at the ends of the predetermined length “L” of the blood vessel according to the following equation: where “u” represents a blood flow velocity, “r” represents displacement in the radial direction of the blood vessel, “R” represents the inside radius of the blood vessel, and “μ” represents the predetermined viscosity of blood.