Patent ID: 7938778

Claim:
An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising: a transmission and reception unit which forms an ultrasonic beam on a hard tissue and obtains an echo signal; a surface detecting unit which detects a plurality of surface points corresponding to a surface of the hard tissue based on the echo signal; a shape value measurement unit which measures a shape value reflecting a shape of the hard tissue based on the plurality of detected surface points; and an evaluation value measurement unit which measures an evaluation value of a mechanical characteristic of the hard tissue based on a return change of the shape value from a state in which a load is applied to the hard tissue to a state after the load is completely removed, wherein the evaluation value measurement unit measures, as the evaluation value, a time for the shape value to reach, after the load is removed from the state of application of the load to the hard tissue, a return reference value corresponding to a state before the load is applied.