PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for objectively evaluating a progression of a disease from image information of an elastic image.SOLUTION: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which is equipped with an ultrasonic probe 1, tomographic image constructing means 6 which transmits and receives ultrasound to and from a subject through the ultrasonic probe 1 and generates a tomographic image from RF signal frame data of a tomographic site of the subject, elastic information computing means 10 for acquiring the distortion or a coefficient of elasticity of tissues at the tomographic site from the RF signal frame data, an elastic image constructing means 12 for generating the elastic image from the distortion or the coefficient of elasticity acquired by the means 10, and a display means 14 for displaying the tomographic image and/or the elastic image is equipped with a visualizing region evaluating means 11 for evaluating the tissues from the shape of the tissues calculated from the image information of the elastic image.COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT【課題】 弾性画像の画像情報から疾患の進行具合を客観的に評価する超音波診断装置を提供する。【解決手段】超音波探触子1と、超音波探触子1を介して被検体に超音波を送受信し、被検体の断層部位のRF信号フレームデータに基づいて断層画像を生成する断層画像構成手段6と、RF信号フレームデータに基づいて断層部位における組織の歪み又は弾性率を求める弾性情報演算手段10と、弾性情報演算手段10で求めた歪み又は弾性率に基づいて弾性画像を生成する弾性画像構成手段12と、断層画像及び/又は前記弾性画像を表示する表示手段14とを備えた超音波診断装置において、弾性画像の画像情報から算出される組織の形状に基づいて組織を評価する描出領域評価手段11を備える。【選択図】図1
