Hybrid medical imaging: scanning thermoacoustic tomography

Scanning thermoacoustic tomography based on microwave-induced thermoacoustic waves studied. Two-dimensional images of /spl sim/50 mm thick biological tissue samples were obtained. The thermoacoustic signals were also simulated theoretically. The image resolution was significantly improved compared with purely microwave imaging

Frequency-swept ultrasound-modulated optical tomography of scattering media

A novel frequency-swept ultrasound-modulated optical tomography technique was developed to image scattering media. A frequency-swept ultrasonic wave was used to modulate the laser light passing through a scattering medium. The modulated light was received by an optical detector and was heterodyned with a reference frequency sweep. The heterodyned signal was recorded in the time domain and was then analyzed in the frequency domain to yield a one-dimensional image along the ultrasonic axis. Multiple one-dimensional images obtained at various positions perpendicular to the ultrasonic axis were combined to yield a two-dimensional tomographic image of the medium

Scanning thermoacoustic tomography in biological tissue

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography was explored to image biological tissue. Short microwave pulses irradiated tissue to generate acoustic waves by thermoelastic expansion. The microwave-induced thermoacoustic waves were detected with a focused ultrasonic transducer. Each time-domain signal from the ultrasonic transducer represented a one-dimensional image along the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic transducer similar to an ultrasonic A-scan. Scanning the system perpendicularly to the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic transducer would generate multi-dimensional images. Two-dimensional tomographic images of biological tissue were obtained with 3-GHz microwaves. The axial and lateral resolutions were characterized. The time-domain piezo-electric signal from the ultrasonic transducer in response to the thermoacoustic signal was simulated theoretically, and the theoretical result agreed with the experimental result very well

Combining microwave and ultrasound: scanning thermoacoustic tomography

Scanning thermoacoustic tomography based on microwave-induced thermoacoustic waves was studied. Two-dimensional images of /spl sim/50-mm thick biological tissue samples were obtained experimentally. The thermoacoustic signals were also simulated theoretically. The image resolution was significantly improved compared with purely microwave imaging

Improving the image quality of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) by using a negative acoustic lens

Although a small point ultrasound transducer has a wide acceptance angle, its signal-to-noise (SNR) is low due to the high thermal-noise-induced electric voltages in the transducer, which is a result of its small active area. By contrast, a finite size flat transducer has high sensitivity (good SNR), but the acceptance angle is generally small, which limits its application in reconstruction-based photoacoustic tomography (PAT). In this paper, we report a negative lens concept to increase the acceptance angle for a flat transducer. We also provide phantom experiments that demonstrate this concept can greatly increase the detection region for PAT and without losing sensitivity

Photoacoustic microscopy with submicron resolution

We show that it is possible to obtain high optical contrast photoacoustic images of tissue with 0.55 μm transverse resolution. To achieve high sensitivity, we used a high NA (0.85), 125 MHz spherically focused ultrasonic transducer in a confocal arrangement with a high resolution optical objective (NA=0.6). Laser pulses of a few nJ in pulse energy with durations of 1.5 ns at a 20 KHz pulse repetition rate were used to generate photoacoustic waves. Although the penetration depth is limited to hundreds of microns by both optical scattering and ultrasonic absorption, the developed technique can compete with optical microscopy, for example, in quantitative spectral measurements, in microcirculation research, or in nanoparticle detection

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography of biological tissue by use of contrast of laser speckles

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography based on the measurement of laser-speckle contrast was investigated. An ultrasonic beam was focused into a biological-tissue sample to modulate the laser light passing through the ultrasonic column inside the tissue. The contrast of the speckle pattern formed by the transmitted light was found to depend on the ultrasonic modulation and could be used for imaging. Variation in the speckle contrast reflected optical inhomogeneity in the tissue. With this technique, two-dimensional images of biological-tissue samples of as much as 25 mm thick were successfully obtained with a low-power laser. The technique was experimentally compared with speckle-contrast-based, purely optical imaging and with parallel-detection imaging techniques, and the advantages over each were demonstrated

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography using multi-sector scanning

A study of microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography of inhomogeneous tissues using multi-sector scanning is presented. A short-pulsed microwave beam is used to irradiate the tissue samples. The microwave absorption excites time-resolved acoustic waves by thermoelastic expansion. The amplitudes of the acoustic waves are strongly related to locally absorbed microwave-energy density. The acoustic waves may propagate in all spatial directions. A focused ultrasonic transducer is employed to acquire temporal acoustic signals from multiple directions. Each detected signal is converted into a one-dimensional (1D) image along the acoustic axis of the transducer. The cross-sectional images of the tissue samples are calculated by combining all of the 1D images acquired in the same planes

Chirped ultrasound-modulated optical tomography

A novel chirped ultrasound-modulated optical tomography technique was developed to image turbid media. Frequency analysis was employed to obtain spatial resolution along the ultrasonic axis. 2D images from scattering medium were obtained. The chirped ultrasound modulated signal was detected in chicken breast tissue

Sound and light in turbid media

Two imaging techniques combining ultrasound and light are reviewed. The motivation is to combine the advantages of optical information and acoustic imaging resolution. The first technique is sonoluminescence tomography, where a sonoluminescence signal generated internally in the media by continuous-wave ultrasound is used. Two-dimensional images can be produced for objects embedded in turbid media by raster scanning the media. The second technique is ultrasound- modulated optical tomography, where a frequency-swept ultrasonic wave was used to modulate the laser light passing through a scattering medium. Multiple 1D images obtained at various positions perpendicular to the ultrasonic axis were composed to obtain a 2D tomographic image of the medium