Photoacoustic tomography for human musculoskeletal imaging and inflammatory arthritis detection

Abstract

With the capability of assessing high resolution optical contrast in soft tissues, photoacoustic imaging (PAI) can offer valuable structural and functional information of human joints, and hold potential for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of inflammatory arthritis. Recent studies have demonstrated that PAI can map 2D and 3D morphology of the cartilage, synovium, vascularity, and bone tissue in human peripheral joints. Initial trials with patients affected by inflammatory arthritis have also suggested that PAI can detect the hemodynamic properties in articular tissues as well as their changes due to active inflammation. This review focuses on the recent progress in technical development of PAI for human musculoskeletal imaging and inflammation detection. PAI can provide non-invasive and non-ionizing serial measurements for monitoring of therapeutic interventions with the potential for higher sensitivity than existing imaging modalities such as ultrasound. However, further investigation is needed to validate the value of PAI in rheumatology clinical settings.

Impact of System Factors on the Performance of Photoacoustic Tomography Scanners

“…PAT can visualize biological samples at scales from organelles, cells, tissues, and organs to the small-animal whole body and can reveal multidimensional biological information, such as anatomical, functional, molecular, genetic, and metabolic data [1]. PAT has unique applications in a range of biomedical fields [4,5], such as cell biology [6][7][8][9], neurology [10][11][12], oncology [13,14], rheumatology [15], and ophthalmology [16,17]. Both basic sciences and clinical translations involving PAT are expected to grow in the future.…”

Three‐dimensional interventional photoacoustic imaging for biopsy needle guidance with a linear array transducer

“…To address this problem, pioneering studies using photoacoustic (PA) imaging to guide interventional procedures have been carried out . PA imaging is an emerging biomedical imaging modality that has experienced explosive developments in the past decade . It can visualize biological samples at scales from organelles, cells, tissues, organs to small‐animal whole bodies.…”

Combating acoustic heterogeneity in photoacoustic computed tomography: A review

“…Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) is capable of visualizing the optical absorption of biological tissues by combining the excellent contrast in pure optical imaging and high spatial resolution in deep tissues in ultrasound imaging. [1][2][3][4] The imaging modality holds great promise for a range of biomedical applications, such as early detection of cancer, 5,6 in°ammation evaluation, 7 biopsy guidance, 8,9 retinal imaging, 10 and cellular imaging. 11,12 In PACT, the energy of a laser pulse is absorbed by biological tissues, which will induce a rapid thermal expansion and then excite ultrasound waves.…”