Patent ID: 8684932

Claim:
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: a 3D volume data generation unit configured to oscillate a plurality of ultrasonic wave transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic waves and to receive reflection waves which are reflected from a subject body, and to generate 3D volume data of blood flow speed inside the subject body on the basis of reception signals obtained by converting the reflection waves by the ultrasonic wave transducer elements; a fluid region extraction unit configured to extract a 3D fluid region by continuously extracting a blood flow surface from the 3D volume data of the blood flow speed, the blood flow surface being a surface where the blood flow speed in the 3D volume data is lower than a predetermined reference value; a position calculation unit configured to calculate a 3D center position of the 3D fluid region; a sample marker position setting unit configured to set a 3D position of a sample marker to the 3D center position calculated by the position calculation unit; a sample marker movement control unit configured to control a movement of the 3D position of the sample marker on the basis of sample marker position setting data set by the sample marker position setting unit; and a transmission and reception control unit configured to perform a control such that ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received at the 3D position of the sample marker whose movement is controlled by the sample marker movement control unit.