PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasound image producing method capable of accurate measuring a sound speed by reducing the effects of refraction of an ultrasonic beam caused by an abdominal wall.SOLUTION: In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, when a region of interest R is set on a B mode image, an abdominal wall detector 10 detects an abdominal wall P of a subject on the B mode image produced by an image producer 16, a controller 13 sets a plurality of lattice points near the region of interest R, and controls a transmission circuit 2 and a reception circuit 3 to transmit/receive an ultrasonic beam emitted from a transducer array 1 and so steered as to enter the abdominal wall P detected by the abdominal wall detector 10 substantially vertically with forming transmission focuses respectively at the plurality of lattice points to obtain reception data for measuring a sound speed, and a sound speed calculator 12 calculates local sound speeds in the region of interest R based on the obtained reception data for measuring a sound speed.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】腹壁から受ける超音波ビームの屈折の影響を低減して正確な音速の計測を行うことができる超音波診断装置を提供する。【解決手段】Bモード画像上で関心領域Rが設定されると、画像生成部16で生成されたBモード画像上で被検体の腹壁Pが腹壁検出部10により検出され、関心領域Rの付近に複数の格子点を設定し、振動子アレイ1から腹壁検出部10で検出された腹壁Pに対しほぼ垂直に入射してそれぞれ複数の格子点に送信焦点を形成するようにステアされた超音波ビームの送受信を制御部13が送信回路2および受信回路3を制御して行うことにより音速測定用の受信データが取得され、取得された音速測定用の受信データに基づいて音速演算部12が関心領域R内の局所音速値を演算する。【選択図】図1
