Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Abstract

With respect to a scanning plane of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, an ultrasound transmission section 6 transmits for a plurality of times an ultrasonic pulse of such an intensity capable of collapsing the contrast agent. An ultrasound reception section 5 receives an echo signal cluster from the subject based on the ultrasonic pulses, and generates a plurality of RF data items through addition of the echo signal cluster using an adder 5 C. Based on the plurality of RF data items, a TIC/MTT measurement section 25 measures a time intensity curve (TIC), and then measures a mean transit time (MTT) of the blood flow based on the time intensity curve for display on a display section 21.

1 - 16 . (canceled)  
   
   
       17 . An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic probe which applies ultrasound to an applied region of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, and receives an ultrasonic echo from the applied region;    a driving signal generator which generates a driving signal to drive the ultrasonic probe:    a control unit which controls the driving signal generator on the basis of a scan sequence, the scan sequence performing a first scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed, after a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region, and performing a second scanning a plurality of times at time-varying time intervals after the first scanning, with the ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed; and    a processor which plots a time-varying graph of concentration of the contrast agent based on intensity of the ultrasonic echo under the saturation state of the contrast agent obtained by the first scanning and intensity of the ultrasonic echo at a rising point of the time-varying graph obtained by the second scanning.    
   
   
       18 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half the time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.  
   
   
       19 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein 
 the processor acquires a mean transit time of a blood flow based on the time-varying graph.    
   
   
       20 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half a period from a time based on a latest scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed to a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.  
   
   
       21 . An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic probe which applies ultrasound to a hepatic region of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, and receives an ultrasonic echo from the hepatic region;    a driving signal generator which generates a driving signal to drive the ultrasonic probe:    a control unit which controls the driving signal generator on the basis of a scan sequence, the scan sequence performing a first scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed, after a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region, and performing a second scanning a plurality of times at time-varying time intervals set to be 3 seconds or shorter, after the first scanning, with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed; and    a processor which plots a time-varying graph of concentration of the contrast agent based on intensity of the ultrasonic echo under the saturation state of the contrast agent obtained by the first scanning and intensity of the ultrasonic echo at a rising point of the time-varying graph obtained by the second scanning.    
   
   
       22 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 21 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half the time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.  
   
   
       23 . An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic probe which applies ultrasound to an applied region of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, and receives an ultrasonic echo from the applied region;    a driving signal generator which generates a driving signal to drive the ultrasonic probe:    a control unit which controls the driving signal generator on the basis of a scan sequence, the scan sequence performing a first scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed, after a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region, and performing a second scanning a plurality of times at time-varying time intervals after the first scanning, with the ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed; and    a processor which plots a time-varying graph of concentration of the contrast agent, which is approximated linearly, based on intensity of the ultrasonic echo under the saturation state of the contrast agent obtained by the first scanning and intensity of the ultrasonic echo at a rising point of the time-varying graph obtained by the second scanning.    
   
   
       24 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half the time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.  
   
   
       25 . An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic probe which applies ultrasound to an applied region of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, and receives an ultrasonic echo from the applied region;    a driving signal generator which generates a driving signal to drive the ultrasonic probe:    a control unit which controls the driving signal generator on the basis of a scan sequence, the scan sequence performing a first scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed, after a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region, and performing a second scanning a plurality of times at time-varying time intervals after the first scanning such that a plurality of scanning operations are performed each time, with the ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed; and    a processor which plots a time-varying graph of concentration of the contrast agent based on intensity of the ultrasonic echo under the saturation state of the contrast agent obtained by the first scanning and intensity of the ultrasonic echo at a rising point of the time-varying graph obtained by the second scanning.    
   
   
       26 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 25 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half the time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.  
   
   
       27 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 25 , wherein the processor plots the time-varying graph of the concentration of the contrast agent by using a mean value of the ultrasonic echo obtained by said plurality of second scannings at each of the time intervals.  
   
   
       28 . An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic probe which applies ultrasound to an applied region of a subject having been injected with a contrast agent, and receives an ultrasonic echo from the applied region;    a driving signal generator which generates a driving signal to drive the ultrasonic probe:    a control unit which controls the driving signal generator on the basis of a scan sequence, the scan sequence performing a first scanning with an ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed, after a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region, and performing a second scanning a plurality of times at time-varying time intervals after the first scanning, with the ultrasound of such a high intensity that the contrast agent is collapsed; and    a processor which plots a time-varying graph of concentration of the contrast agent, which is normalized by the saturation value of the contrast agent in the applied region, based on intensity of the ultrasonic echo under the saturation state of the contrast agent obtained by the first scanning and intensity of the ultrasonic echo at a rising point of the time-varying graph obtained by the second scanning.    
   
   
       29 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 29 , wherein each of the time intervals at which the second scanning is performed a plurality of times is half or less than half the a time at which the contrast agent is saturated in the applied region.