Characterization of lens based photoacoustic imaging system

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Acoustic Optics
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Clinical translation of photoacoustic (PA) imaging faces challenges like limited view, low signal-to-noise ratio, and high cost of real-time systems.
• Acoustic lens-based PA imaging systems, or PA cameras, present a promising alternative to conventional methods.
• The 3D focusing capability of acoustic lenses enables real-time C-scan imaging with 2D transducer arrays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model the physics of PA cameras within an imaging system framework.
• To derive a closed-form expression for the point spread function (PSF) of PA cameras.
• To experimentally validate the PA camera model and assess its performance.

Main Methods:

• Mathematical modeling of PA imaging physics.
• Derivation of the point spread function (PSF) for acoustic lens-based PA systems.
• Inexpensive lens design and fabrication.
• Experimental verification and system PSF evaluation over a 3D volume.
• Imaging of phantom and ex vivo human prostate tissue.

Main Results:

• A mathematical framework for PA camera imaging was established.
• A closed-form expression for the system's point spread function (PSF) was derived.
• Experimental validation confirmed the model's accuracy, with the system PSF evaluated across the 3D imaging volume.
• Successful imaging of both phantom and ex vivo human prostate tissue was achieved.

Conclusions:

• PA cameras provide a viable, cost-effective approach for real-time C-scan imaging.
• The developed model and derived PSF are crucial for understanding and optimizing PA camera performance.
• This technology shows potential for clinical applications, particularly in tissue imaging.