Catheter-based photoacoustic endoscope.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Photoacoustic endoscopy (PAE) offers promising imaging capabilities for the gastrointestinal tract.
• Integrating PAE systems into clinical workflows requires miniaturization and compatibility with existing endoscopic instruments.
• Previous PAE designs faced challenges in achieving the necessary flexibility and small diameter for clinical endoscope channels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a flexible shaft-based mechanical scanning photoacoustic endoscopy (PAE) system.
• To ensure the PAE system's compatibility with the instrument channel of a clinical video endoscope.
• To demonstrate the system's workability within an endoscope and its in vivo imaging potential.

Main Methods:

• A prototype PAE system with a 3.2-mm diameter and 2.5-m long catheter was constructed.
• The flexible shaft and scanning tip were encapsulated within a plastic catheter for integration.
• The system was tested for workability within a 3.7-mm clinical endoscope channel and for in vivo animal imaging.

Main Results:

• The PAE system successfully fit and operated within the instrument channel of a clinical video endoscope.
• Demonstrated intra-instrument channel workability of the flexible PAE catheter.
• Successfully acquired in vivo animal images using the PAE system integrated within the endoscope.

Conclusions:

• A flexible, catheter-based PAE system compatible with clinical endoscopes has been successfully developed.
• The system's design facilitates integration into standard endoscopic procedures for gastrointestinal imaging.
• The demonstrated in vivo imaging capability highlights the potential of this PAE system for clinical translation.