Blood supply in bone plays a crucial role in bone growth and fracture healing. However, to accurately reconstruct photoacoustic images of blood in bone, we must consider the refraction experienced by acoustic waves when passing through bone. We utilise ultrasound to determine the heterogeneous wave speed model which is then used for refraction-corrected photoacoustic imaging. We further extend new photoacoustic velocimetry techniques by accounting for refraction to generate maps showing the location, speed and direction of flowing optical absorbers in bone models. This technique is validated on in vitro experimental data obtained from a blood-vessel phantom beneath a bone-mimicking plate.
Photoacoustic imaging is historically limited to soft-tissues and cannot image the bone interior. However we have recently demonstrated accurate photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging in a cortical bone model by accounting for both refraction and elastic anisotropy. In this presentation, we will present photoacoustic imaging results in a bone-mimicking replica and ex vivo bovine long bone. We will demonstrate the accuracy of our imaging approach compared to conventional imaging techniques. Further, we will discuss the results of a parametric spectroscopic study of the source laser wavelength and ultrasonic probe to optimise imaging depth and resolution.
Arterial tissue imaging and characterization is important for disease diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring, and research into disease processes. The high optical contrast of photoacoustic imaging can distinguish molecules with unique optical spectra from surrounding arterial tissue, while ultrasound is sensitive to variations in acoustic properties. Combining photoacoustics with ultrasonics provides more comprehensive diagnostic information by extracting molecular information from photoacoustics and structural information from ultrasound. Furthermore, ultrasound may be able to distinguish molecules with indistinct optical spectra but strong acoustic properties, such as calcification. In this work we will present our results applying our recently developed all-optical, multi-channel photoacoustic and laser-ultrasound imaging techniques to arterial tissue ex-vivo. We first apply redatuming techniques to remove reverberation artifacts, and subsequently image with time-reversal.
Biomedical imaging systems incorporating both photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound capabilities are of interest for obtaining optical and acoustic properties deep in tissue. While most dual-modality systems utilize piezoelectric transducers, all-optical systems can obtain broadband high-resolution data with hands-free operation. Previously described reflection-mode all-optical laser-ultrasound (LUS) systems use a confocal source and detector; however, angle-dependent raypaths are lost in this configuration. As a result, the overall imaging aperture is reduced, which becomes increasingly problematic with depth. We present a reflection-mode nonconfocal LUS and PA imaging system that uses signals recorded on all-optical hardware to create angle-dependent images. We use reverse-time migration and time reversal to reconstruct the LUS and PA images. We demonstrate this methodology with both a numerical model and tissue phantom experiment to image a steep-curvature vessel with a limited aperture 2-cm beneath the surface. Nonconfocal imaging demonstrates improved focusing by 30% and 15% compared to images acquired with a single LUS source in the numerical and experimental LUS images, respectively. The appearance of artifacts is also reduced. Complementary PA images are straightforward to acquire with the nonconfocal system by tuning the source wavelength and can be further developed for quantitative multiview PA imaging.
Conventional contacting transducers are highly sensitive and readily available for ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging. On the other hand, optical detection can be advantageous when a small sensor footprint, large bandwidth and no contact are essential. However, most optical methods utilizing interferometry or Doppler vibrometry rely on the reflection of light from the object. We present a non-contact detection method for photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging--termed Gas-Coupled Laser Acoustic Detection (GCLAD)--that does not involve surface reflectivity. GCLAD measures the displacement along a line in the air parallel to the object. Information about point displacements along the line is lost with this method, but resolution is increased over techniques that utilize finite point-detectors when used as an integrating line detector. In this proceeding, we present a formula for quantifying surface displacement remotely with GCLAD. We will validate this result by comparison with a commercial vibrometer. Finally, we will present two-dimensional imaging results using GCLAD as a line detector for photoacoustic and laser-ultrasound imaging.
We propose a new reconstruction algorithm for photoacoustic and laser-ultrasound imaging based on reverse time migration (RTM), a time reversal imaging algorithm originally developed for exploration seismology. RTM inherently handles strong velocity heterogeneity and complex propagation paths. A successful RTM analysis with appropriate handling of boundary conditions results in enhanced signal-to-noise, accurately located structures, and minimal artifacts. A laser-ultrasound experiment begins with a source wave field generated at the surface that propagates through the sample. Acoustic scatterers in the propagation path give rise to a scattered wave field, which travels to the surface and is recorded by acoustic detectors. To reconstruct the laser-ultrasound image, a synthetic source function is forward propagated and cross-correlated with the time-reversed and back-propagated recorded (scattered) wave field to image the scatterers at the correct location. Conversely, photoacoustic waves are generated by chromophores within the sample and propagate "one-way" to the detection surface. We utilize the velocity model validated by the laser-ultrasound reconstruction to accurately reconstruct the photoacoustic image with RTM. This approach is first validated with simulations, where inclusions behave both as a photoacoustic source and an acoustic scatterer. Subsequently, we demonstrate the capabilities of RTM with tissue phantom experiments using an all-optical, multi-channel acquisition geometry.
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