Fast photoacoustic imaging system based on 320-element linear transducer array

A fast photoacoustic (PA) imaging system, based on a 320-transducer linear array, was developed and tested on a tissue phantom. To reconstruct a test tomographic image, 64 time-domain PA signals were acquired from a tissue phantom with embedded light-absorption targets. A signal acquisition was accomplished by utilizing 11 phase-controlled sub-arrays, each consisting of four transducers. The results show that the system can rapidly map the optical absorption of a tissue phantom and effectively detect the embedded light-absorbing target. By utilizing the multi-element linear transducer array and phase-controlled imaging algorithm, we thus can acquire PA tomography more efficiently, compared to other existing technology and algorithms. The methodology and equipment thus provide a rapid and reliable approach to PA imaging that may have potential applications in noninvasive imaging and clinic diagnosis.     

Three-dimensional photoacoustic tomography based on the focal-line concept

A full ring ultrasonic array-based photoacoustic tomography system was recently developed for small animal brain imaging. The 512-element array is cylindrically focused in the elevational direction, and can acquire a two-dimensional (2D) image in 1.6 s. In this letter, we demonstrate the three-dimensional (3D) imaging capability of this system. A novel 3D reconstruction algorithm was developed based on the focal-line concept. Compared to 3D images acquired simply by stacking a series of 2D images, the 3D focal-line reconstruction method renders images with much less artifacts, and improves the elevational resolution by 30% and the signal-to-noise ratio by two times. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was first validated by numerical simulations and then demonstrated with a hair phantom experiment and an ex vivo mouse embryo experiment.     

Target detection and quantification using a hybrid hand-held diffuse optical tomography and photoacoustic tomography system

We present a photoacoustic tomography-guided diffuse optical tomography approach using a hand-held probe for detection and characterization of deeply-seated targets embedded in a turbid medium. Diffuse optical tomography guided by coregistered ultrasound, MRI, and x ray has demonstrated a great clinical potential to overcome lesion location uncertainty and to improve light quantification accuracy. However, due to the different contrast mechanisms, some lesions may not be detectable by a nonoptical modality but yet have high optical contrast. Photoacoustic tomography utilizes a short-pulsed laser beam to diffusively penetrate into tissue. Upon absorption of the light by the target, photoacoustic waves are generated and used to reconstruct, at ultrasound resolution, the optical absorption distribution that reveals optical contrast. However, the robustness of optical property quantification of targets by photoacoustic tomography is complicated because of the wide range of ultrasound transducer sensitivity, the orientation and shape of the targets relative to the ultrasound array, and the uniformity of the laser beam. We show in this paper that the relative optical absorption map provided by photoacoustic tomography can potentially guide the diffuse optical tomography to accurately reconstruct target absorption maps.     

Nanorod-based flow estimation using a high-frame-rate photoacoustic imaging system

A quantitative flow measurement method that utilizes a sequence of photoacoustic images is described. The method is based on the use of gold nanorods as a contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging. The peak optical absorption wavelength of a gold nanorod depends on its aspect ratio, which can be altered by laser irradiation (we establish a wash-in flow estimation method of this process). The concentration of nanorods with a particular aspect ratio inside a region of interest is affected by both laser-induced shape changes and replenishment of nanorods at a rate determined by the flow velocity. In this study, the concentration is monitored using a custom-designed, high-frame-rate photoacoustic imaging system. This imaging system consists of fiber bundles for wide area laser irradiation, a laser ultrasonic transducer array, and an ultrasound front-end subsystem that allows acoustic data to be acquired simultaneously from 64 transducer elements. Currently, the frame rate of this system is limited by the pulse-repetition frequency of the laser (i.e., 15 Hz). With this system, experimental results from a chicken breast tissue show that flow velocities from 0.125 to 2 mms can be measured with an average error of 31.3%.     

Modelling of a novel x-ray phase contrast imaging technique based on coded apertures

X-ray phase contrast imaging is probably the most relevant among emerging x-ray imaging techniques, and it has the proven potential of revolutionizing the field of diagnostic radiology. Impressive images of a wide range of samples have been obtained, mostly at synchrotron radiation facilities. The necessity of relying on synchrotron radiation has prevented to a large extent a widespread diffusion of phase contrast imaging, thus precluding its transfer to clinical practice. A new technique, based on the use of coded apertures, was recently developed at UCL. This technique was demonstrated to provide intense phase contrast signals with conventional x-ray sources and detectors. Unlike other attempts at making phase contrast imaging feasible with conventional sources, the coded-aperture approach does not impose substantial limitations and/or filtering of the radiation beam, and it therefore allows, for the first time, exposures compatible with clinical practice. The technique has been thoroughly modelled, and this paper describes the technique in detail by going through the different steps of the modelling. All the main factors influencing image quality are discussed, alongside the viability of realizing a prototype suitable for clinical use. The model has been experimentally validated and a section of the paper shows the comparison between simulated and experimental results.     

Performance characterization of an integrated ultrasound, photoacoustic, and thermoacoustic imaging system

We developed a novel trimodality system for human breast imaging by integrating photoacoustic (PA) and thermoacoustic (TA) imaging techniques into a modified commercial ultrasound scanner. Because light was delivered with an optical assembly placed within the microwave antenna, no mechanical switching between the microwave and laser sources was needed. Laser and microwave excitation pulses were interleaved to enable PA and TA data acquisition in parallel at a rate of 10 frames per second. A tube (7 mm inner diameter) filled with oxygenated bovine blood or 30 mM methylene blue dye was successfully detected in PA images in chicken breast tissue at depths of 6.6 and 8.4 cm, respectively, for the first time. The SNRs at these depths reached ～24 and ～15 dB, respectively, by averaging 200 signal acquisitions. Similarly, a tube (13 mm inner diameter) filled with saline solution (0.9%) at a depth of 4.4 cm in porcine fat tissue was successfully detected in TA images. The PA axial, lateral, and elevational resolutions were 640 μm, 720 μm, and 3.5 mm, respectively, suitable for breast cancer imaging. A PA noise-equivalent sensitivity to methylene blue solution of 260 nM was achieved in chicken tissue at a depth of 3.4 cm.     

Three-dimensional fluorescence-enhanced optical tomography using a hand-held probe based imaging system

Hand-held based optical imaging systems are a recent development towards diagnostic imaging of breast cancer. To date, all the hand-held based optical imagers are used to perform only surface mapping and target localization, but are not capable of demonstrating tomographic imaging. Herein, a novel hand-held probe based optical imager is developed towards three-dimensional (3-D) optical tomography studies. The unique features of this optical imager, which primarily consists of a hand-held probe and an intensified charge coupled device detector, are its ability to; (i) image large tissue areas (5 x 10 sq. cm) in a single scan, (ii) perform simultaneous multiple point illumination and collection, thus reducing the overall imaging time; and (iii) adapt to varying tissue curvatures, from a flexible probe head design. Experimental studies are performed in the frequency domain on large slab phantoms (approximately 650 ml) using fluorescence target(s) under perfect uptake (1:0) contrast ratios, and varying target depths (1-2 cm) and X-Y locations. The effect of implementing simultaneous over sequential multiple point illumination towards 3-D tomography is experimentally demonstrated. The feasibility of 3-D optical tomography studies has been demonstrated for the first time using a hand-held based optical imager. Preliminary fluorescence-enhanced optical tomography studies are able to reconstruct 0.45 ml target(s) located at different target depths (1-2 cm). However, the depth recovery was limited as the actual target depth increased, since only reflectance measurements were acquired. Extensive tomography studies are currently carried out to determine the resolution and performance limits of the imager on flat and curved phantoms.     

High antinoise photoacoustic tomography based on a modified filtered backprojection algorithm with combination wavelet

How to extract the weak photoacoustic signals from the collected signals with high noise is the key to photoacoustic signal processing. We have developed a modified filtered backprojection algorithm based on combination wavelet for high antinoise photoacoustic tomography. A Q-switched-Nd: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser operating at 532 nm is used as light source. The laser has a pulse width of 7 ns and a repetition frequency of 20 Hz. A needle polyvinylidene fluoride hydrophone with diameter of 1 mm is used to capture photoacoustic signals. The modified algorithm is successfully applied to imaging vascular network of a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane in situ and brain structure of a rat brain in vivo, respectively. In the reconstructed images, almost all of the capillary vessels and the vascular ramifications of the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane are accurately resolved, and the detailed brain structures of the rat brain organization are clearly identified with the skull and scalp intact. The experimental results demonstrate that the modified algorithm has much higher antinoise capacity, and can greatly improve the reconstruction image quality. The spatial resolution of the reconstructed images can reach 204 microm. The modified filtered back-projection algorithm based on the combination wavelet has the potential in the practical high-noise signal processing for deeply penetrating photoacoustic tomography.     

In vivo three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging based on a clinical matrix array ultrasound probe

We present an integrated photoacoustic and ultrasonic three-dimensional (3-D) volumetric imaging system based on a two-dimensional (2-D) matrix array ultrasound probe. A wavelength-tunable dye laser pumped by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser serves as the light source and a modified commercial ultrasound imaging system (iU22, Philips Healthcare) with a 2-D array transducer (X7-2, Philips Healthcare) detects both the pulse-echo ultrasound and photoacoustic signals. A multichannel data acquisition system acquires the RF channel data. The imaging system enables rendering of co-registered 3-D ultrasound and photoacoustic images without mechanical scanning. The resolution along the azimuth, elevation, and axial direction are measured to be 0.69, 0.90 and 0.84 mm for photoacoustic imaging. In vivo 3-D photoacoustic mapping of the sentinel lymph node was demonstrated in a rat model using methylene blue dye. These results highlight the clinical potential of 3-D PA imaging for identification of sentinel lymph nodes for cancer staging in humans.     

基于荧光分子断层成像的多模成像系统研究进展

基于荧光分子断层成像（FMT）的多模成像系统已广泛应用于动物实验研究,它将现有的其他成像模态与FMT系统相融合,实现同时对被测生物解剖学结构、生理学功能和分子或细胞水平生物学活动的在体成像.首先介绍了单模FMT系统的发展历史和现状,并介绍了国内外基于FMT的多模系统的研究进展,着重介绍了文献报道的典型的FMT/CT、FMT/MRI和FMT/放射性核素成像系统的系统组成、工作原理、性能特点及实验应用.对基于FMT的多模成像系统的发展进行了展望.     

Design and evaluation of a novel breast cancer detection system combining both thermoacoustic (TA) and photoacoustic (PA) tomography

We have developed a novel scanner for breast cancer detection, integrating both thermoacoustic and photoacoustic techniques to achieve dual contrast (microwave and light absorption) imaging. This scanner is nonionizing, low cost, and can potentially provide high-resolution, dual modality three-dimensional images of the breast. The scanner uses front instead of side breast compression and dry instead of gel ultrasonic coupling. Here we present the design of the breast scanner along with initial tissue phantom study results as a precursor to an actual patient study.     

Integrated micro-endoscopy system for simultaneous fluorescence and optical-resolution photoacoustic imaging

We present a new integrated micro-endoscopy system combining label-free, fiber-based, real-time C-scan optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (F-OR-PAM) and a high-resolution fluorescence micro-endoscopy system for visualizing fluorescently labeled cellular components and optically absorbing microvasculature simultaneously. With a diode-pumped 532-nm fiber laser, the F-OR-PAM sub-system is able to reach a resolution of ～7 μm. The fluorescence subsystem, which does not require any mechanical scanning, consists of a 447.5-nm-centered diode laser as the light source, an objective lens, and a CCD camera. Proflavine is used as the fluorescent contrast agent by topical application. The scanning laser and the diode laser light source share the same light path within an optical fiber bundle containing 30,000 individual single-mode fibers. The absorption of proflavine at 532 nm is low, which mitigates absorption bleaching of the contrast agent by the photoacoustic excitation source. We demonstrate imaging in live murine models. The system is able to provide cellular morphology with cellular resolution co-registered with the structural information given by F-OR-PAM. Therefore, the system has the potential to serve as a virtual biopsy technique, helping visualize angiogenesis and the effects of anti-cancer drugs on both cells and the microcirculation, as well as aid in the study of other diseases.     

正电子发射计算机断层显像/核磁共振：分子影像学技术新进展

背景：正电子发射计算机断层显像(PET)从分子水平反映细胞代谢和功能变化,MRI有更高的软组织对比度和空间分辨率,且无电磁辐射。近年来,随着多模式成像技术飞速发展,作为刚刚应用于临床的多模式分子成像技术,PET/MRI融合显像可提供分子、形态与功能信息,有关研究已成为分子影像领域的关注焦点。 目的：就目前PET/MRI研制存在的问题和进展情况做一综述,并展望其潜在的临床和科研价值。 方法：由第一作者应用计算机检索CNKI数据库、Springerlink数据库、Pubmed数据库相关文献。检索时间范围：2000年1月至2012年6月。英文检索词：“PET/MRI”和“multimodality imaging or image fusion”,中文检索词：“分子影像学”和“图像融合”。选择内容与PET/MRI多模式成像相关的文章,同一领域文献则选择近期发表或发表在权威杂志文章,共纳入53篇文献。 结果与结论：已有的研究成果表明,PET/MRI较传统显像手段和其他成功的多模式成像技术,如PET/CT和SPECT/CT有更多、更新的应用优势,并已积累临床前和初步临床应用的经验,PET/MRI具有广阔的发展空间,有望将分子影像技术的发展带入一个新的时代,为临床诊断掀开新的篇章。     

Real-time photoacoustic imaging of prostate brachytherapy seeds using a clinical ultrasound system

Prostate brachytherapy is a popular prostate cancer treatment option that involves the permanent implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate. However, contemporary brachytherapy procedure is limited by the lack of an imaging system that can provide real-time seed-position feedback. While many other imaging systems have been proposed, photoacoustic imaging has emerged as a potential ideal modality to address this need, since it could easily be incorporated into the current ultrasound system used in the operating room. We present such a photoacoustic imaging system built around a clinical ultrasound system to achieve the task of visualizing and localizing seeds. We performed several experiments to analyze the effects of various parameters on the appearance of brachytherapy seeds in photoacoustic images. We also imaged multiple seeds in an ex vivo dog prostate phantom to demonstrate the possibility of using this system in a clinical setting. Although still in its infancy, these initial results of a photoacoustic imaging system for the application of prostate brachytherapy seed localization are highly promising.     

A new capnograph based on an electro acoustic sensor

End tidal carbon dioxide measurements with an electro acoustic capnograph prototype have been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to verify that it is possible to obtain an adequate capnogram using the prototype and to investigate the influence of ambient temperature and humidity variations. By simultaneous measurements with a reference capnograph, on subjects performing exercise, hypo- and hyperventilation, P_ETCO₂ readings from the reference were compared with the output signal from the prototype. The capnogram from the prototype correlated well with the reference in terms of breath time. The first parts of the expiration and inspiration phases were steeper for the reference than the prototype. The output signal from the prototype correlated well with the reference P_ETCO₂ readings with a correlation coefficient of 0.93 at varied temperature and relative humidity.     

In vivo determination of acute myocardial ischemia based on photoacoustic imaging with a focused transducer

The location and ischemia extent are two important parameters for evaluating the acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). A focused-transducer-based photoacoustic imaging method was employed to assess time-dependent AMI. Our preliminary results show that the photoacoustic signal could identify the myocardium. The intensity and area of photoacoustic images of myocardium could be used for characterizing the ischemia extent and scope of myocardial ischemia. The results also imply that the intensity and area of photoacoustic images are the rapid fall of an exponential model with an increase of delaying time after the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion. These experimental results were consistent with the clinical characteristics. The findings suggest that the photoacoustic imaging be a potential tool for the real-time assessment of acute myocardial ischemia during surgical operation.