A living tissue region determining unit of a gain correction data
generating section determines a diagnostic living tissue region on the
basis of an S/N and a dispersion value of ultrasound data collected from
each of a plurality of slice sections in a gain correction scan mode
intended for the generation of gain correction data for volume data. A
gain correction map generating unit applies a least squares method to the
average value of the ultrasound data in a plurality of regions set by
dividing the living tissue region into predetermined sizes, thereby
generating two-dimensional gain correction maps. Then, an interpolating
processing unit interpolates, in a slice direction, the gain correction
map generated for each of the plurality of slice sections, and generates
three-dimensional gain correction data corresponding to each voxel of the
volume data.