Patent ID: 7798966
Filing Date: 2010-09-21
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a tomographic image acquisition unit adapted to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave by an ultrasonic transducer arranged on a tip end of a probe, and acquire a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images of a subject in a living body; a detection unit adapted to detect information indicating a reference position of each of the two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images and an orientation of a tomographic plane of each of the two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images; and an image generation unit adapted to generate a band-shaped longitudinal image including a curved plane along a moving path of the ultrasonic transducer, based on the reference position, the orientation of the tomographic plane, and each of the two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images, and obtain relative coordinates of the two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images based on the reference position and the orientation of the tomographic planes, set straight lines that vertically cut the two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic images so that the straight lines are equal on the relative coordinates, respectively, and generate a band-shaped longitudinal plane obtained by interpolating the respective straight lines as a band-shaped longitudinal image at an absolute coordinate.