PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonograph which automatically sets the faces of slices in the direction in which a time phase difference between the faces of slices become shorter from among a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other in an area concerned.SOLUTION: The ultrasonograph has a two-dimensional array probe 001 in which vibrators are arranged in a two-dimensional plane having the first and second directions orthogonal to each other, an input means 012 to input the ranges of the first and second directions to be an area concerned, a judgment means 003 to obtain the number of ultrasonic beams lining up in the first and second directions and judge one direction where the number of ultrasonic beams is smaller from among the first and second directions on the basis of the density of scan lines of the ultrasonic beams, a transmission and receiving means 002 to acquire data based on ultrasonic echoes by performing scanning over the area concerned by scanning in the one direction while sequentially changing the position in the direction orthogonal to the one direction, and an image generation means 020 to generate three-dimensional images by performing the reorganization of the data to the three-dimensional ultrasonogram and interpolation and to display in the display means 011.COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT【課題】関心領域における互いに直行する第1方向及び第2方向のうち各スライス面間の時相差が短くなる方向に沿ってスライス面を自動的に設定する超音波診断装置を提供する。【解決手段】互いに直交する第1及び第2方向を有する2次元平面に振動子が配列された2次元アレイプローブ001と、関心領域となる第1及び第2方向の範囲を入力する入力手段012と、超音波ビームの走査線密度を基に、第1方向及び第2方向に並ぶ超音波ビームの本数を求め、第1方向又は第2方向のうち超音波ビームの本数の少ない一方向を判定する判定手段003と、前記一方向に直交する方向に順次位置を変えて、前記一方向に走査させていくことで前記関心領域の走査を行い超音波エコーに基づくデータを取得する送受信手段002と、データの3次元超音波画像への再構成や補間処理などを行い3次元超音波画像生成し表示手段011に表示させる画像生成手段020とを備える。【選択図】図1
