Single-shot photoacoustic imaging with single-element transducer through a spatiotemporal encoder

Abstract

Current photoacoustic (PA) imaging modalities typically require either serial detection with a single-element transducer or parallel detections with an ultrasonic array, indicating a dilemma between system cost and imaging throughput. Photoacoustic topography through ergodic relay (PATER) was recently developed to address this bottleneck. However, PATER requires object-specific calibration due to varied boundary condition, and must be re-calibrated through pointwise scanning for each object before measurements, which is time-consuming and severely limits practical application. Here, we develop a new method, photoacoustic imaging through a spatiotemporal encoder (PAISE), which is capable of single-shot widefield PA imaging with a single-element transducer, and does not require object-specific calibration. We validated PAISE through comprehensive numerical simulations and experiments, and demonstrated that PAISE can image different objects with a single calibration. Together, these results highlight the potential of PAISE for significant impact in both scientific research and clinical applications.

Quantitative classification of melasma with photoacoustic microscopy: a pilot study

“…As a hybrid imaging technique, photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has shown great potential in clinical (preclinical) diagnosis 12 – 19 In particular, photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) imaging modality enables label-free high-resolution quantitative imaging of the skin through high optical absorption in endogenous hemoglobin and melanin 20 – 27 and simultaneously reconstructs the three-dimensional (3D) morphological structure of melanin and blood vessels 28 – 30 At present, PAM has been successfully applied in the clinical (preclinical) diagnosis of psoriasis, 31 , 32 port wine stain, 33 , 34 melanoma, 35 , 36 and other human skin diseases 37 …”