By reconstructing the optical properties such as the absorption coefficient, quantitative photoacoustic tomography (QPAT) images the micro blood vessels and the hemoglobin concentration quantitatively. QPAT is accomplished by solving the inverse problem of the photoacoustic (PA) measurement based on the phenomena of the light and PA pressure wave propagation. The light propagation is described by the radiative transfer equation, which is approximately calculated with the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The propagation of the PA pressure wave is described by the PA wave equation. The authors have been studying the QPAT image reconstruction algorithm using MC simulation and linearization. Near-infrared light with a wavelength of 755 nm that penetrates deep inside the biological medium was used. The absorption coefficient was reconstructed from the PA signals measured by the probe, which was the combination of the optical fiber and the focused ultrasound transducer consisting of P(VDF-TrFE) piezo electric film. The QPAT image with 10-mm depth was reconstructed in the numerical and phantom experiments. Pursuing more realistic situation of the micro vessel imaging, we conducted animal experiment to validate the QPAT image reconstruction. In the animal experiments, we tried to image the blood vessels of rabbit’s ear. The rabbit ear was placed under the tissue-mimicking scattering layer. Through the numerical, phantom, and animal experiments, the instrumental and computational conditions for QPAT for pathological imaging will be investigated by comparing the QPAT images of the phantom and animal.
To quantify the functional and structural information of peripheral blood vessels for diagnoses of diseases which affects peripheral blood vessels such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, a 3D quantitative photoacoustic tomography (QPAT) reconstructing the optical properties such as the absorption coefficient reflecting microvascular structures and hemoglobin concentration and oxygenation saturation is studied. QPAT image reconstruction algorithms based on radiative transfer equation (RTE) and photon diffusion equation (PDE) have been proposed. However, it is not easy to use RTE in the clinical practice because of the huge computational load and long calculation time. On the other hand, it is always considered problematic to use PDE, because it does not approximate RTE well near the illuminating position. In this study, we developed the 3D QPAT image reconstruction using Monte Carlo (MC) method which approximates RTE better than PDE to reconstruct the optical properties in the region near the illuminating surface. To reduce the calculation time, we applied linearization. The QPAT image reconstruction algorithm with MC method and linearization was examined in numerical simulations and phantom experiment by use of a scanning system with a single probe consisting of P(VDF-TrFE) piezo electric film and optical fiber.
Visualization of small tumors inside biological tissue is important in cancer treatment because that promotes accurate surgical resection and enables therapeutic effect monitoring. For sensitive detection of tumor, we have been developing photoacoustic (PA) imaging technique to visualize tumor-specific contrast agents, and have already succeeded to image a subcutaneous tumor of a mouse using the contrast agents. To image tumors inside biological tissues, extension of imaging depth and improvement of sensitivity were required. In this study, to extend imaging depth, we developed a PA tomography (PAT) system that can image entire cross section of mice. To improve sensitivity, we discussed the use of the P(VDF-TrFE) linear array acoustic sensor that can detect PA signals with wide ranges of frequencies. Because PA signals produced from low absorbance optical absorbers shifts to low frequency, we hypothesized that the detection of low frequency PA signals improves sensitivity to low absorbance optical absorbers. We developed a PAT system with both a PZT linear array acoustic sensor and the P(VDF-TrFE) sensor, and performed experiment using tissue-mimicking phantoms to evaluate lower detection limits of absorbance. As a result, PAT images calculated from low frequency components of PA signals detected by the P(VDF-TrFE) sensor could visualize optical absorbers with lower absorbance.
Purpose: Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) enables one to visualize the distribution of hemoglobin and acquire a map of microvessels without using contrast agents. The purpose of our study is to develop a clinically applicable PAI system integrated with a clinical ultrasound (US) array system with handheld PAI probes providing coregistered PAI and US images. Clinical research trials were performed to evaluate the performance and feasibility of clinical value.
Materials and Methods: We developed two types of handheld PAI probes: a linear PAI probe combining a conventional linear-array US probe with optical illumination and a transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-type PAI probe. We performed experiments with Japanese white rabbits and conducted clinical research trials of urology and vascular medicine with the approval of the medical human ethics committee of the National Defense Medical College.
Results: We successfully acquired high-dynamic-range images of the vascular network ranging from capillaries to landmark arteries and identified the femoral vein, deep femoral vein, and great saphenous vein of rabbits. These major vessels in the rabbits groin are surrounded with microvessels connected to each other. Periprostatic microvessels were monitored during radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer and they were colocalized with nerve fibers, and their distribution was consistent with the corresponding PAI. The TRUS-type PAI probe clearly demonstrated the location and extent of the neurovascular bundle (NVB) better than does TRUS alone.
Conclusions: The system, which can obtain a PAI, a US image, and a merged image, was innovatively designed so that medical doctors can easily find the location without any prior knowledge or extended skills to analyze the obtained images. Our pilot feasibility study confirms that PAI could be an imaging modality useful in the screening study and diagnostic biopsy.
KEYWORDS: Absorption, Continuous wavelet transforms, Wavelets, Tissue optics, Ultrasonography, Sensors, Signal attenuation, Signal generators, Signal to noise ratio, Scattering
In photo-acoustic (PA) imaging, valuable medical applications based on optical absorption spectrum such as contrast
agent imaging and blood oxygen saturation measurement have been investigated. In these applications, there is an
essential requirement to determine optical absorption coefficients accurately. In present, PA signal intensities have been
commonly used to determine optical absorption coefficients. This method achieves practical accuracy by combining with
radiative transfer analysis. However, time consumption of radiative transfer analysis and effects of signal generation
efficiencies were problems of this method. In this research, we propose a new method to determine optical absorption
coefficients using continuous wavelet transform (CWT). We used CWT to estimate instantaneous frequencies of PA
signals which reflects optical absorption distribution. We validated the effectiveness of CWT in determination of optical
absorption coefficients through an experiment. In the experiment, planar shaped samples were illuminated to generate
PA signal. The PA signal was measured by our fabricated PA probe in which an optical fiber and a ring shaped P(VDFTrFE)
ultrasound sensor were coaxially aligned. Optical properties of samples were adjusted by changing the
concentration of dye solution. Tunable Ti:Sapphire laser (690 - 1000 nm) was used as illumination source. As a result,
we confirmed strong correlation between optical absorption coefficients of samples and the instantaneous frequency of
PA signal obtained by CWT. Advantages of this method were less interference of light transfer and signal generation
efficiency.
Properties of excitation laser are the important parameters that affect the photoacoustic image quality. As for the pulse
width, it is closely related to signal strength and image resolution, which reported as a result of an experiment using a
laser diode that can control the pulse width easily1. However, though a solid-state laser is promising for a medical
application due to its high pulse energy creating high photo acoustic signal, its influence on waveform or the image
quality has not been discussed in detail because the pulse width is hardly changeable in a solid-state laser.
We use two kinds of solid-state lasers, i.e., Q-switched Nd:YAG and Ti-Sapphire Laser, in this study and generate
different pulse width between 4.5 and 45 ns by changing wavelength and excitation energy. These laser pulses are
entered into a silicon tube composed of carbon-particle suspension as absorber whose wavelength dependence for
absorption is small. We detect the generated laser-induced photoacoustic waves by hydrophone.
The photoacoustic temporal waveform shows sharper as the pulse width is shorter, which also indicates high frequency
signal components increase. The width of the first peak on the temporal waveform is corresponding to the pulse width.
Additionally, as a result of the photoacoustic imaging experiment preformed with 192-channel PZT linear array probe to
image a thin wire, the modulation transfer function shows that the narrower the pulse width, the slightly better the image
resolution.
Photoacoustics has been widely studied as a combined imaging modality of both optical and acoustical
methods. The merits of the photoacoustic imaging are realizing the full potentials of pulsed laser-tissue
interaction. As the photoacoustic waves can be induced at chromophores by pulsed lased irradiation
through a thermoelastic process, it covers a wide range of frequency. In order to take advantages of the
wide range frequency characteristics, we employed not PZT, but piezoelectronic copolymer film,
P(VDF/TrFE) film, with various thickness ranging from 20 to 100 μm as photoacoustic transducers.
Because blood vessels play a key role in homeostasis, we experimentally demonstrated blood vessels
phantom using second harmonic generation of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and Ti:sapphire nanosecond
laser pulses through optical fiber transmission. The detected photoacoustic waveforms showed
distinctive time-of-flight signals. The photoacoustic signals were sensitive to temperature, absorption
coefficients of chromophores, and diameters of the phantom vessels. Hemoglobin oxygen saturation could
be easily derived from the multi wavelength photoacoustic signals using differential optical absorption
characteristics. These results proved the functional quantitative photoacoustic imaging using the signal
characteristics. A multivariate photoacoustic imaging approach must be promising to convenient
diagnosis.
Photo-acoustic imaging (PAI) is a hybrid imaging modality, which can offer a high contrast tomographic image with
ultrasound like resolution in depth of centimeters. Additionally, it has been studied well as functional imaging modality
using characteristics that can distinguish by absorption spectra.
Our purpose is to investigate the image quality and potential of photo-acoustic (PA) image as a preliminary study toward
the medical diagnosis applications. For this purpose, firstly we focused on the difference of image quality between
photo-acoustic image and ultrasound image using array transducers system. Secondly we examined the effect of
illumination method on photo-acoustic image quality.
We compared both photo-acoustic image and ultrasound image of a phantom using original PAI experimental apparatus
system with 192ch PZT array probe. Resolution of PAI and ultrasound image could be revealed, based on the optimized
reconstruction method for each using each element data. We demonstrated higher resolution and higher contrast of
photo-acoustic image than ultrasound image.
To examine the effect on photo-acoustic image quality, we analyzed depth-dependent signal attenuation in scattering
media under various illumination methods such as the expansion of illumination area. Our analysis with experiments and
Monte Carlo simulation are performed to show the necessity for illumination optimization depend on the application and
probe size.
We built a photoacoustic tomographic (PAT) imaging system by scanning a single detector (φ 3.5 mm) made of
piezoelectric copolymer poly(vinylidene
difluoride-trifluoroethylene), P(VDF-TrFE), which had been fabricated for
diagnostic photoacoustic measurement of cartilage tissues in our group. The PAT images of a phantom were obtained at
two excitation wavelength of 687.5 nm and 795 nm. The phantom was made of agar including a black hair and agarose
gels dissolving indocyanine green (ICG) and methylene blue (MB). Laser pulses (685-900 nm) were generated from a
Ti:Sappire tunable laser to excite ICG and MB molecules. The PAT image at 687.5 nm shows signals due to all
absorption sources. This is good agreement with dimension of the phantom. The PAT image at 795 nm shows a strong
signal due to the ICG-dyed gel and almost no signal due to the
MB-dyed gel. This result indicated that absorption
sources were extracted by excitation wavelength according to their absorption spectra. The signal/noise ratio of the PAT
images were compared between the P(VDF-TrFE) transducer in our group and a PZT transducer (Parametrics V309, 5
MHz, φ 12.7 mm) which is commercially available. The P(VDF-TrFE) transducer was more sensitive by 9 times (120
times per area) than the PZT transducer. By using this imaging system with a P(VDF-TrFE) transducer which is highly
sensitive in a wide frequency range, we will achieve frequency analysis of the PAT images to associate photoacoustic
waveforms with physical properties of sample tissues.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.