In-bore MRI-compatible Transrectal Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging

Prostate cancer (PCa) is known as one of the most prevalent and fatal cancer types. This report describes an MRI-compatible photoacoustic/ultrasound (PA/US) imaging platform to improve the diagnosis of PCa. In the proposed solution, PA imaging, which offers real-time, non-ionizing imaging with high sensitivity and specificity, is combined with MRI, aiming to overcome PA's limited field of view (FOV) and make PA scalable for translation to clinical settings. Central to the design of the system is a reflector-based transrectal probing mechanism composed of MRI-compatible materials. The linear transducer with a center hole for optical fiber delivery can be mechanically actuated to form a multi-angled scan, allowing PA/US imaging from varied cross-sectional views. Performance assessment was carried out in phantom and ex-vivo settings. We confirmed the MRI compatibility of the system and demonstrated the feasibility of its tri-modal imaging capability by visualizing a tubing phantom containing contrast agents. The ex-vivo evaluation of targeted tumor imaging capability was performed with a mouse liver sample expressing PSMA-positive tumors, affirming the system's compatibility in spectroscopic PA (sPA) imaging with biological tissue. These results support the feasibility of the in-bore MRI-compatible transrectal PA and US and the potential clinical adaptability.