Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

• a camera;
• a display;
• an ultrasonic probe;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to
• acquire an appearance image depicting a body surface of an object, the appearance image being imaged by the camera,
• acquire an echo signal acquired by a scan of the object with the ultrasonic probe, and positional information indicating a position where the scan is performed by the ultrasonic probe to associate the echo signal and the positional information with each other,
• acquire a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic image based on the associated echo signal and the positional information,
• generate a composite image depicting a blood vessel of the object on the body surface of the object based on the appearance image and the 3D ultrasonic image,
• cause the display to display the generated composite image,
• color-code multiple candidates for recommended puncture positions according to a recommended order based on at least one of a blood-vessel diameter, a vascular depth from a body surface, and a distance to another blood vessel shown in the generated composite image, and
• cause the display to display the color-coded multiple candidates for the recommended puncture positions.