PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for easily measuring the hardness of a vascular wall of a tubular subject such as a blood vessel.SOLUTION: A tubular subject is irradiated with pulse light having a wavelength absorbable by the subject from a light source 13, and an acoustic wave thus emitted from the subject is detected by an acoustic wave detecting means 11. The apparatus includes a computing means 44 for measuring the hardness of the vascular wall of the subject on the basis of the strength of an acoustic wave, from among the detected acoustic waves, the acoustic wave generated on a vascular wall of the subject, then reflected on another vascular wall and detected by the acoustic wave detecting means 11.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】血管等の管状の被検体の管壁硬度を、容易に測定する。【解決手段】管状の被検体に吸収される波長のパルス光を光源13から照射し、それにより被検体から発せられた音響波を音響波検出手段11により検出する。そして、検出された音響波のうち、ある被検体管壁部分で発生した後に別の被検体管壁部分で反射して音響波検出手段11に検出された音響波の強度に基づいて被検体管壁の硬度を測定する演算手段44を設ける。【選択図】図1
