| 摘要 |
The present invention provides an ultrasonic imaging technique for realizing a contrast echo image having an S/N ratio sufficiently high to make a definite diagnosis on the basis of a contrast echo image by imaging an echo component scattered by a microbubble contrast medium and a tissue harmonic component generated when a transmission pulse propagates nonlinearly so that the echo component and the tissue harmonic component are clearly distinguished from each other. The invention provides an ultrasonic imaging device for transmitting/receiving ultrasonic pulses to/from a living body in which microbubbles for contrast are introduced and forming a contrast image of the inside of the living body by using the microbubble for contrast, wherein transmitting/receiving operations are performed N times (N=an integer of three or greater) by using transmission pulse waves having a common envelope signal while varying carrier waves in phase by 360°/N from one wave to another under the same transmission/reception wave focus condition, and N pieces of time-series reception echo signals (a), (b), and (c) obtained by the N times of transmitting/receiving operations are summed to obtain a summed signal (d), thereby forming the contrast image.
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