When scanning a three-dimensional region while rotating a scanning plane
about a predetermined axis (rotation axis), an ultrasonic diagnostic
apparatus calculates a motion vector of a motion scanning plane
(ultrasonic sectional layer) using ultrasonic image data in the rotation
axis and corrects a positional mismatch between the scanning planes using
the calculated motion vector. The motion vector is calculated and the
positional mismatch between the sectional layers, using at least one
frame having a cardiac time phase close to the frame of which the motion
should be corrected and being spatially close to the frame, in addition
to the frames at the same cardiac time phase as the frame of which the
motion should be corrected.