Patent ID: 8454515

Claim:
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: an ultrasonic wave probe configured to transmit low-sound-pressure pulses and high-sound-pressure pulses having a different sound pressure to a scan region formed so as to include a predetermined portion of an object to which a contrast agent bubble is injected, and to receive an echo corresponding to the low-sound-pressure pulses; a low-sound-pressure ultrasonic wave transmission/reception control unit configured to control the ultrasonic wave probe to transmit the low-sound-pressure pulses to the scan region at a first pulse repetition period, and to control the ultrasonic wave probe to receive the echo corresponding to the low-sound-pressure pulses; a high-sound-pressure ultrasonic wave transmission control unit configured to control the ultrasonic wave probe to transmit the high-sound-pressure pulses to the scan region at a second pulse repetition period shorter than the first pulse repetition period; a switching control unit configured to control the low-sound-pressure ultrasonic wave transmission/reception control unit and the high-sound-pressure ultrasonic wave transmission control unit so that the transmission of the low-sound-pressure pulses and the transmission of the high-sound-pressure pulses are alternately switched; and a display control unit configured to control display of ultrasonic image data based on the echo corresponding to the low-sound-pressure pulses on a monitor, wherein the ultrasonic wave probe is a three-dimensional mechanical probe for mechanically sweeping transducers disposed one-dimensionally, and the high-sound-pressure ultrasonic wave transmission control unit controls a sweep speed of the transducers so as to be faster when transmitting the high-sound-pressure pulses than when transmitting the low-sound-pressure pulses.