Patent ID: 8075489

Claim:
An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus provided with an ultrasonic probe which is configured to contact a specimen, and which generates an ultrasound tomographic image by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves through the ultrasonic probe, wherein a plurality of piezoelectric sensors, configured by using a film having a thickness of 145 μm or less as a substrate, arranged on or in the vicinity of a surface of the ultrasonic probe and in a region directly provided for transmission and reception of the ultrasonic waves, a measurer for measuring pressure distribution on or in the vicinity of the surface based on the arranged positions of each of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors on or in the vicinity of the surface thereof and output signals from the piezoelectric sensors, and a display for displaying the pressure distribution in a visible form; and the measurer accumulates an output signal in the form of time series data for each piezoelectric sensor for a prescribed amount of time, and measures a fluctuation status in the specimen or specifies the location of a fluctuation site based on time-based changes in the accumulated output signals and the arrangement of the piezoelectric sensors on or in the vicinity of the surface, wherein the piezoelectric sensors have a piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin film formed on the substrate.