| 摘要 |
<p>A transmitting/receiving ultrasonic probe (7) is provided at the center of a probe unit (5), and a transmitting ultrasonic probe (8) and a receiving ultrasonic probe (9) are disposed symmetrically movably. The probe unit (5) is applied to the skin of a region of a diagnose subject, and an angle perpendicular of the diagnose subject is detected by the probe unit (5) by means of the transmitting/receiving ultrasonic probe (7). A computing unit (16) determines the signal intensity of the signal from the receiving ultrasonic probe at the distance between the ultrasonic probes according to the reflection signals from the transmitting ultrasonic probe (8) and the transmitting/receiving ultrasonic probe (7) and the data on the positions of the left and right ultrasonic probes (8, 9). The result is displayed on a display unit (14), and thereby the hardness, thickness, and surface state of the cartilage of a joint are displaced. Therefore without inserting a probe or the like into a joint, the hardness and thickness of the cartilage of the joint, the unevenness of the cartilage surface, and the presence/absence of the cartilage can be diagnosed.</p> |
