Optoacoustic image formation approaches-a clinical perspective

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Optoacoustic imaging (OAI) shows significant diagnostic potential, driving clinical translation.
• Technical advancements in OAI performance are rapidly emerging.
• Clinicians are increasingly recognizing the value of OAI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent progress in optoacoustic image formation algorithms and processing methods for clinical applications.
• To discuss challenges and advancements in clinical optoacoustic imaging translation.
• To highlight the impact of hardware and software developments on OAI performance.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on optoacoustic image reconstruction algorithms.
• Analysis of signal and image processing techniques for OAI.
• Discussion of hardware configurations and their impact on imaging performance.
• Exploration of challenges in real-time rendering, multi-modal hybridization, and biomarker quantification.

Main Results:

• New image reconstruction algorithms are continuously developed alongside new hardware setups.
• Hardware design is tailored to specific clinical applications, considering depth, field of view, and resolution.
• Signal and image processing significantly influence the final imaging performance.
• Progress is being made in addressing challenges like real-time 2D/3D rendering and biomarker quantification.

Conclusions:

• Continued innovation in optoacoustic imaging algorithms and hardware is crucial for clinical translation.
• Addressing reconstruction challenges is key to unlocking the full diagnostic potential of OAI.
• Hybridization with other modalities and accurate biomarker quantification are important future directions.