Patent ID: 8657748
Filing Date: 2014-02-25
Classification: A61B,G01N,G16H

Abstract:
1. A blood vessel function inspecting apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic probe for irradiating ultrasonic waves and detecting reflected ultrasonic waves, wherein the irradiated ultrasonic waves are percutaneously incident upon a blood vessel of a live body; a processor having a program stored therein for causing the processor to perform executable portions, the portions comprising: a blood viscosity distribution calculating portion and a shear rate distribution calculating portion respectively configured to calculate a blood viscosity distribution and a shear rate distribution of blood within the blood vessel of the live body on the basis of a flow velocity distribution of the blood measured in a non-invasive manner with the ultrasonic waves percutaneously incident upon said blood vessel, and a blood state index value calculating portion configured to calculate a blood state index value permitting evaluation of a state of the blood, on the basis of said blood viscosity distribution and said shear rate distribution, comprising: a first blood state index value calculating portion configured to obtain estimated hematocrit values at a plurality of points predetermined within said blood vessel, on the basis of values of a blood viscosity at said plurality of points, which are respectively extracted from said blood viscosity distribution and according to reference relationships between a hematocrit value and the blood viscosity, which reference relationships respectively correspond to values of a shear rate at said plurality of points, which are respectively extracted from said shear rate distribution; and a second blood state index value calculating portion configured to calculate, as said blood state index value, a value relating to an amount of difference of the estimated hematocrit values at said plurality of points with respect to each other, in which the estimated hematocrit values are obtained from said reference relationships that are transformed at a same ratio so as to minimize the amount of difference of the estimated hematocrit values, wherein said second blood state index value calculating portion transforms said reference relationships at the same ratio for all of the values of the shear rate, by changing relationship equations respectively defining said reference relationships corresponding to the respective different values of the shear rate, with a same coefficient, and determines, as said blood state index value, said coefficient when the amount of difference of the estimated hematocrit values at said plurality of points is minimized.