Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) is an emerging technique for high resolution macroscopic imaging
with optical and molecular contrast. We present cardiovascular imaging results from a multi-element real-time MSOT
system recently developed for studies on small animals. Anatomical features relevant to cardiovascular disease, such as
the carotid arteries, the aorta and the heart, are imaged in mice. The system's fast acquisition time, in tens of
microseconds, allows images free of motion artifacts from heartbeat and respiration. Additionally, we present in-vivo
detection of optical imaging agents, gold nanorods, at high spatial and temporal resolution, paving the way for molecular
imaging applications.
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