Photoacoustic Microscopy
Photoacoustic Microscopy - Related Videos
08:31
Three-dimensional Optical-resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy
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Cited by 27 •
2011
Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) is an emerging technology capable of imaging optical absorption contrasts in vivo with cellular resolution and sensitivity. Here, we provide a visualized instruction on the experimental protocols of OR-PAM, including system configuration, system alignment, typical in vivo experimental procedures, and functional imaging schemes.
09:49
Photoacoustic Cystography
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2013
Photoacoustic cystography (PAC) has a great potential to map urinary bladders, a radiation sensitive internal organ in pediatric patients, without using any ionizing radiation or toxic contrast agent. Here we demonstrate the use of PAC for mapping urinary bladders with an injection of optical-opaque tracers in rats in vivo.
10:17
Switchable Acoustic and Optical Resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy for In Vivo Small-animal Blood Vasculature Imaging
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Cited by 8 •
2017
Here a switchable acoustic resolution (AR) and optical resolution (OR) photoacoustic microscopy (AR-OR-PAM) system capable of both high resolution imaging at shallow depth and low resolution deep tissue imaging on the same sample in vivo is demonstrated.
10:46
Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods
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Cited by 5 •
2016
We show the preparation and address the feasibility of cellular vehicles containing gold nanorods for the photoacoustic imaging of cancer.
08:38
Photoacoustic Tomography to Image Blood and Lipids in the Infrarenal Aorta
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2023
Source: Gurneet S. Sangha and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is an emerging biomedical imaging modality that utilizes light generated acoustic waves to obtain compositional information from tissue. PAT can be used to image blood and lipid components, which is useful for a wide variety of applications, including cardiovascular and tumor imaging. Currently used imaging techniques have inherent...
FAQs
A short laser pulse deposits energy in optically absorbing molecules. The resulting rapid temperature increase causes local thermoelastic expansion, which launches acoustic waves through the tissue. An ultrasound transducer records these waves, and their detected strength and location are used to reconstruct where optical absorption occurred.
Either source can provide the optical absorption that initiates signal generation. Endogenous molecules, including hemoglobin, allow imaging without fluorescent labeling, while introduced contrast agents add an alternative absorbing component. The choice therefore affects which biological or engineered feature contributes to the measured signal, supporting visualization of vascular structures, hemoglobin distribution, or selected tissue features.
Optical absorption supplies molecularly relevant contrast, whereas ultrasonic detection supports depth-resolved localization in tissue. Together, these properties let the method connect what absorbs the laser light with where that absorber lies. In bioengineering studies, this pairing is valuable when researchers need both tissue structure and functional information such as hemoglobin distribution or oxygenation.
Signal strength reflects the mapped optical absorption at a detected location, so stronger or weaker signals can help distinguish regions containing different absorbers. In biological samples, this supports assessment of blood vessels and hemoglobin distribution, while the spatial pattern contributes to tissue-structure visualization. Interpretation remains tied to the absorbing molecules or contrast agents that generated the acoustic response.
A measurement follows a linked sequence: deliver a short laser pulse to the sample, allow absorption to produce thermoelastic expansion, detect the resulting acoustic waves with an ultrasound transducer, and form an image from their locations and signal strengths. This workflow preserves optical absorption information while producing depth-resolved images of biological tissues or engineered samples.
Bioengineers can choose it when they need label-free visualization of vascular or tissue features, because endogenous absorbers such as hemoglobin can generate contrast without fluorescent labels. The method is also relevant when depth-resolved functional information is important, including studies of vascular biology, disease progression, biomaterials, and engineered tissues.
It can reveal blood-vessel organization, hemoglobin distribution, oxygenation, and tissue structure within a sample. These outputs extend imaging beyond anatomy alone by providing functional information connected to blood and oxygen-related properties. Consequently, researchers can use the resulting images to examine vascular biology and disease progression or to evaluate features of biomaterials and engineered tissues.