TY - GEN
T1 - Development of a hand-held 3D photoacoustic imaging system for breast cancer detection
AU - Al-Aabed, Hazem
AU - Roumeliotis, Michael
AU - Carson, Jeffrey J.L.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a non-invasive imaging modality that employs non-ionizing near infrared (NIR) laser light to obtain optical images of tissues with depth penetration and resolution comparable to ultrasound imaging. PA images are created by illuminating tissues with a short laser pulse (∼10 ns), which causes optically absorbing structures to heat up slightly, but so rapidly that conditions of thermal and stress confinement are met and the structure emits a pressure wave at ultrasonic frequencies. Detection of the pressure waves at the tissue surface with an ultrasound transducer array provides the data needed to reconstruct the distribution of light-absorbing structures within the tissue. Since it is recognized that cancerous breast lesions absorb light to a greater degree than surrounding normal tissue, PA imaging is a viable candidate for detection of lesions within the intact human breast. Therefore, we have constructed a transportable PA imaging system suitable for breast imaging. The system incorporates a hand-held transducer array with 30 detector elements arranged on a ring. Laser light is delivered coaxially in relation to the ring using a fiber optic light guide. The supporting hardware includes a NIR tuneable laser, transducer cabling, 30 preamplifiers, 30 independent data acquisition channels with onboard memory, and a computer with control and image reconstruction software. Initial tests with the transducer array suggest that it has sufficient sensitivity to detect optically absorbent objects on the order of 1- mm at a depth of 2 cm. It is anticipated that a small hand-held PA imaging unit will be amenable to patient work-up and would complement standard ultrasound imaging.
AB - Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a non-invasive imaging modality that employs non-ionizing near infrared (NIR) laser light to obtain optical images of tissues with depth penetration and resolution comparable to ultrasound imaging. PA images are created by illuminating tissues with a short laser pulse (∼10 ns), which causes optically absorbing structures to heat up slightly, but so rapidly that conditions of thermal and stress confinement are met and the structure emits a pressure wave at ultrasonic frequencies. Detection of the pressure waves at the tissue surface with an ultrasound transducer array provides the data needed to reconstruct the distribution of light-absorbing structures within the tissue. Since it is recognized that cancerous breast lesions absorb light to a greater degree than surrounding normal tissue, PA imaging is a viable candidate for detection of lesions within the intact human breast. Therefore, we have constructed a transportable PA imaging system suitable for breast imaging. The system incorporates a hand-held transducer array with 30 detector elements arranged on a ring. Laser light is delivered coaxially in relation to the ring using a fiber optic light guide. The supporting hardware includes a NIR tuneable laser, transducer cabling, 30 preamplifiers, 30 independent data acquisition channels with onboard memory, and a computer with control and image reconstruction software. Initial tests with the transducer array suggest that it has sufficient sensitivity to detect optically absorbent objects on the order of 1- mm at a depth of 2 cm. It is anticipated that a small hand-held PA imaging unit will be amenable to patient work-up and would complement standard ultrasound imaging.
KW - 3D
KW - breast cancer
KW - handheld
KW - image reconstruction
KW - laser
KW - near infrared
KW - photoacoustic imaging
KW - sparse
KW - ultrasound
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78049462758&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78049462758&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.877258
DO - 10.1117/12.877258
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:78049462758
SN - 9780819482419
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - Photonics North 2010
T2 - Photonics North 2010
Y2 - 1 June 2010 through 3 June 2010
ER -