In-bore MRI-compatible transrectal ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Oncology

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis relies on MRI, but its specificity is limited for aggressive tumors.
• Photoacoustic (PA) imaging offers high sensitivity and specificity, complementing MRI's limitations.
• Real-time imaging is crucial for intraoperative guidance, an area where MRI is slow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a tri-modal imaging system integrating MRI, PA, and ultrasound (US) for enhanced PCa diagnosis.
• To create an MRI-compatible PA/US imaging platform for parallel imaging acquisition.
• To assess the system's performance in phantom and in vivo studies for clinical translation.

Main Methods:

• Developed an MRI-compatible PA/US imaging platform with a transrectal probe and integrated optical fiber.
• Implemented an MRI-compatible actuation system for 3D PA/US imaging.
• Conducted phantom studies for quality assessment and in vivo validation.

Main Results:

• Achieved successful tri-modal imaging capabilities with acceptable MRI artifacts.
• Demonstrated spectroscopic PA imaging effectiveness with an exogenous contrast agent.
• Confirmed the platform's ability to function during active MRI scans for rapid visualization.

Conclusions:

• The in-bore MRI-compatible PA/US imaging system is feasible for PCa diagnosis and management.
• The developed platform enhances intraoperative guidance by enabling real-time visualization.
• This technology shows significant potential for clinical translation in oncology.