Review on photoacoustic imaging of the brain using nanoprobes

Abstract

Photoacoustic (PA) tomography (PAT) is a hybrid imaging modality that integrates rich optical contrasts with a high-ultrasonic spatial resolution in deep tissue. Among various imaging applications, PA neuroimaging is becoming increasingly important as it nicely complements the limitations of conventional neuroimaging modalities, such as the low-temporal resolution in magnetic resonance imaging and the low depth-to-resolution ratio in optical microscopy/tomography. In addition, the intrinsic hemoglobin contrast PA neuroimaging has also been greatly improved by recent developments in nanoparticles (NPs). For instance, near-infrared absorbing NPs greatly enhanced the vascular contrast in deep-brain PAT; tumor-targeting NPs allowed highly sensitive and highly specific delineation of brain tumors; and multifunctional NPs enabled comprehensive examination of the brain through multimodal imaging. We aim to give an overview of NPs used in PA neuroimaging. Classifications of various NPs used in PAT will be introduced at the beginning, followed by an overview of PA neuroimaging systems, and finally we will discuss major applications of NPs in PA neuroimaging and highlight representative studies.

Deep tissue photoacoustic computed tomography with a fast and compact laser system

“…Photoacoustic (PA) computed tomography (PACT) has emerged as a novel imaging modality that provides high resolution imaging of optical absorption in deep tissue [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Over the past few years, various preclinical and clinical applications of the technique have been demonstrated, including functional brain imaging [7], small-animal whole-body imaging [8], breast cancer screening [9], and guidance of lymph node biopsy [10].…”

An Efficient Compensation Method for Limited-View Photoacoustic Imaging Reconstruction Based on Gerchberg–Papoulis Extrapolation

“…Furthermore, because PAI reflects the light absorption distributions of the tissue, it can indicate such physiological parameters as hemoglobin concentration and blood oxygen saturation [4][5][6]. With all these above-mentioned advantages, PAI serves as a great tool in many fields of biomedical application, e.g., brain imaging [7,8], blood vessel imaging [9], tumor detection [10] and molecular imaging [11].…”

Fiber-Laser-Based Ultrasound Sensor for Photoacoustic Imaging

“…PAT has received great interests due to promising applications in disease diagnoses and life science researches34567. PAT detects optically induced ultrasound signals to form three-dimensional images8910.…”