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Abstract

Using a Doppler technique, contrast echo imaging is carried out in order to properly measure the velocity of a contrast medium injected into a patient body by intravenous injection. A diagnostic ultrasound system includes: a unit for extracting a Doppler shift of a nonlinear echo component from a received echo, the nonlinear echo component being attributable to reflection of an ultrasound beam from the ultrasound contrast medium injected into blood. A unit converts a Doppler shift f.sub.d into a velocity component v according to the following conversion expression: v =Vcos.theta.=Cf.sub.d /(2f.sub.set +f.sub.d) where C denotes a sound velocity, V denotes a moving velocity of a blood flow in a patient body, v denotes a component of a moving velocity V in a direction of an ultrasound beam, .theta. denotes an angle of an ultrasound beam with respect to a moving direction of an object, f.sub.set denotes a set frequency used for velocity conversion, and f.sub.d denotes a Doppler shift. Further, a unit displays velocity information concerning the blood flow on the basis of the velocity component v. Preferably, the set frequency f.sub.set is the frequency of a reference signal employed in the system, which is set outside a frequency band of the ultrasound beam being transmitted.

First Claim