Deep-penetration photoacoustic array imaging of calcifications

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Medical Physics
• Diagnostic Technology

Background:

• Calcifications are crucial indicators for early breast cancer detection.
• Current imaging methods have limitations in visualizing calcifications effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility of deep-penetration photoacoustic (PA) imaging for visualizing breast calcifications.
• To assess the capability and penetration depth of PA imaging using a medical ultrasound array platform.

Main Methods:

• Utilized intralipid and chicken breast phantoms with hydroxyapatite (HA) particles to simulate calcifications.
• Selected an optimal near-infrared excitation wavelength to maximize HA signals.
• Employed PA imaging and spectroscopic techniques to visualize and differentiate HA particles.

Main Results:

• Successfully visualized 0.5-mm HA particles at a depth of 3 cm in chicken breast phantoms.
• Estimated a clinically relevant noise-equivalent penetration depth of 2.9 to 3.5 cm for human breast tissue.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of differentiating HA from blood using PA spectroscopy.

Conclusions:

• PA imaging is a viable technique for visualizing breast calcifications.
• The study confirms PA imaging's potential for real-time detection of calcifications relevant to early breast cancer diagnosis.