Patent Document ID: 8696575
Application ID: 12178709
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit that transmits an ultrasonic wave to a subject, receives a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, and generates echo signals of a plurality of frames on the basis of the received reflected wave; an image data processor storing an algorithm that causes the image data processor to generate a data set composed of a plurality of two-dimensional images on the basis of the echo signals of the plurality of frames; an image generating processor storing an algorithm that causes the image generating processor to generate a first image by performing a process of enhancing a microstructure included in the data set, the process of enhancing a microstructure including a microstructure extracting process setting a representative pixel value in a reference region using a first ultrasonic image included in the data set and a second ultrasonic image that is determined on the basis of a position of the first ultrasonic image, and setting a pixel value based on a comparison process in which a the representative pixel value in the reference region including pixels of the second ultrasonic image that spatially correspond to the pixels of the first ultrasonic image is compared with a target pixel value of the first ultrasonic image, thereby generating a microstructure extracted image; and a display unit that displays the first image.