Dedicated Photoacoustic Imaging Instrument for Human Periphery Blood Vessels: A New Paradigm for Understanding the Vascular Health
Tao Chen, Liangjian Liu, Xiaohui Ma, Ying Zhang, Huadong Liu, Rongqin Zheng, Jie Ren, Huichao Zhou, Yaguang Ren, Rongkang Gao, Ningbo Chen, Hairong Zheng, Liang Song, Chengbo Liu
Abstract
A novel photoacoustic imaging system based on a semi-ring transducer array is proposed to image peripheral blood vessels. The system's penetration depth is deep (∼15 mm) with high spatial (∼200 μm) and temporal resolution. In a clinical study, volumetric photoacoustic data of limbs were obtained within the 50s (for a FOV of 15 cm × 4 cm) with the volunteers in the standing and sitting posture. Compared to the previous studies, our system has many advantages, including (1) Larger field of view; (2) Finer elevational and in-plane resolutions; (3) Enhanced 3D visualization of peripheral vascular networks; (4) Compact size and better portability. The 3D visualization and cross-sectional images of five healthy volunteers clearly show the vascular network and the system's ability to image submillimeter blood vessels. This high-resolution PA system has great potential for imaging human periphery vasculatures noninvasively in clinical research.