Importance

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Abstract

An ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus which transmits an ultrasonic wave into a subject under observation, detects the velocity of movement of a moving reflective member such as blood flow within the heart or a coronary artery of the subject, and displays the detected velocity information as an image. The apparatus transmits an ultrasonic pulsed wave into a subject, receives the echo reflected from the subject, converts the clutter signal contained in the received signal into a complex clutter signal in a complex signal converter, and uses this complex clutter signal as a complex reference signal for mixing with the received signal to produce a complex signal. When the complex clutter signal is used as a complex reference signal in this way, it is possible to obtain a complex signal free of the velocity information related to slow moving members such as the blood vessel wall and the heart wall which is contained in the received signal. A velocity distribution computing unit carries out velocity detection computation, for example autocorrelation computation, on the complex signal, whereby it is possible to extract velocity information relating solely to the blood flow and free from the effects of the movement of the surrounding tissue and in particular is possible to display as an image information on blood flow near the heart wall or on blood flow within a coronary artery.

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First Claim