PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To faithfully estimate the mechanical characteristic of a vessel even when the blood pressure of a subject is changed, without having dependence on the blood pressure.SOLUTION: A vessel wall monitoring apparatus includes: a vessel diameter information detecting unit which detects vessel diameter information, based on first biological information obtained from a subject a blood pressure detecting unit for detecting blood pressure, based on second biological information obtained from a subject a logarithmic blood pressure function producing unit 51 which performs a logarithmic operation on the blood pressure detected by the blood pressure detecting unit, to produce a logarithmic blood pressure function a vessel diameter function producing unit 55 which differentiates the vessel diameter information detected by the vessel diameter information detecting unit, to produce a function concerning a vessel diameter and a regression operating unit 26 which produces an impedance model expression by using mechanical characteristic values including a stiffness, viscosity, and inertia, and which calculates and outputs at least one of the stiffness, the viscosity, and the inertia, based on the produced impedance model expression.COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT【課題】血圧依存性を持たず、被験者の血圧が変化しても、血管の力学特性を忠実に推定する。【解決手段】被験者から得られる第1の生体情報に基づき血管径情報を検出する血管径情報検出手段と、被験者から得られる第2の生体情報に基づき血圧を検出する血圧検出手段と、前記血圧検出手段により検出された血圧について対数演算を行い対数化した対数血圧関数を求める対数血圧関数生成手段51と、前記血管径情報検出手段により検出された血管径情報について微分を行い、血管径に関する関数を生成する血管径関数生成手段55と、剛性、粘性、慣性とからなる力学特性値とを用いてインピーダンスモデル式を作成し、作成したインピーダンスモデル式に基づき前記剛性、粘性、慣性の内の少なくとも1を算出出力する回帰演算手段26とを具備する。【選択図】図4
