Detection of foreign body using fast thermoacoustic tomography with a multielement linear transducer array
Liming Nie1, Da Xing, Diwu Yang
1MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China and Institute of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
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Current imaging modalities face challenges in clinical applications due to limitations in resolution or contrast. Microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging may provide a complementary modality for medical imaging, particularly for detecting foreign objects due to their different absorption of electromagnetic radiation at specific frequencies. A thermoacoustic tomography system with a multielement linear transducer array was developed and used to detect foreign objects in tissue. Radiography and thermoacoustic images of objects with different electromagnetic properties, including glass, sand, and iron, were compared. The authors' results demonstrate that thermoacoustic imaging has the potential to become a fast method for surgical localization of occult foreign objects.
