Ultrawideband high density polymer-based spherical array for real-time functional optoacoustic micro-angiography
Pavel Subochev, Xosé Luís Deán‐Ben, Zhenyue Chen, Maxim Prudnikov, Vladimir Vorobev, Alexey Kurnikov, Anna Orlova, A. S. Postnikova, Alexey V. Kharitonov, M. D. Proyavin, Roman I. Ovsyannikov, А. Г. Санин, Mikhail Kirillin, Francisco Montero de Espinosa, Ilya V. Turchin, Daniel Razansky
Abstract
Abstract Owing to its unique ability to capture volumetric tomographic information with a single light flash, optoacoustic (OA) tomography has recently demonstrated ultrafast imaging speeds ultimately limited by the ultrasound time-of-flight. The method’s scalability and the achievable spatial resolution are yet limited by the narrow bandwidth of piezo-composite arrays currently employed for OA signal detection. Here we report on the first implementation of high-density spherical array technology based on flexible polyvinylidene difluoride films featuring ultrawideband (0.3–40 MHz) sub mm 2 area elements, thus enabling real-time multi-scale volumetric imaging with 22–35 µm spatial resolution, superior image fidelity and over an order of magnitude signal-to-noise enhancement compared to piezo-composite equivalents. We further demonstrate five-dimensional (spectroscopic, time-resolved, volumetric) imaging capabilities by visualizing fast stimulus-evoked cerebral oxygenation changes in mice and performing real-time functional angiography of deep human micro-vasculature. The new technology thus leverages the true potential of OA for quantitative high-resolution visualization of rapid bio-dynamics across scales.