Photoacoustic Imaging
Photoacoustic Imaging - Related Videos
08:38
Photoacoustic Tomography to Image Blood and Lipids in the Infrarenal Aorta
0 Views •
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...
09:49
Photoacoustic Cystography
0 Views •
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.
05:32
A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging
0 Views •
Cited by 11 •
2017
A compact pulsed-laser diode-based photoacoustic tomography (PLD-PAT) system for high-speed in vivo brain imaging in small animals is demonstrated.
08:31
Three-dimensional Optical-resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy
0 Views •
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.
03:27
In Vivo Imaging of a Rat Brain Using Photoacoustic Tomography
0 Views •
2025
Source: Upputuri, P. K., et al. A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging. J. Vis. Exp. (2017)This video demonstrates a protocol for in vivo non-invasive rat brain imaging using photoacoustic tomography, showcasing the preparation, imaging system setup, and data acquisition to reconstruct 2D brain images for visualizing vascular structures and neurovascular health.
FAQs
Brief laser pulses deposit optical energy in light-absorbing molecules called chromophores. Hemoglobin is an important endogenous example in brain studies. The absorbed energy produces rapid thermoelastic expansion, meaning a temperature-related mechanical change, which launches ultrasound waves. Detecting and reconstructing those waves converts local optical absorption into an image of tissue structures and vascular features.
Photoacoustic Imaging combines complementary forms of contrast. Compared with conventional optical microscopy, it can investigate structures deeper in living tissue. Compared with standard ultrasound, it provides richer molecular contrast because signals originate from light-absorbing components such as hemoglobin. This combination supports visualization of both vascular anatomy and changes related to blood oxygenation.
Hemoglobin provides an endogenous source of optical absorption, allowing the technique to visualize blood vessels and assess oxygenation-related information without relying solely on structural ultrasound contrast. In neuroscience, these measurements help characterize hemodynamic responses, or changes associated with blood flow and blood oxygenation. They therefore connect vascular observations with brain physiology and neurovascular coupling.
The reconstructed image reflects where light-absorbing structures generate thermoelastic ultrasound signals and how those signals are detected. In brain applications, hemoglobin-rich vessels provide a major source of contrast, while the detected acoustic waves preserve information about the underlying vascular distribution. Reconstruction transforms the recorded waves into images that can be examined for vascular and functional changes.
A typical workflow begins by delivering brief laser pulses to living tissue. Light-absorbing structures respond through rapid thermoelastic expansion and emit ultrasound waves. Detectors capture those waves, after which the signals are reconstructed into images. In neuroscience experiments, the resulting data can then be examined for cerebral vessels, oxygenation, and hemodynamic responses.
This approach is useful when researchers need to study brain physiology together with vascular or functional changes. It can map cerebral blood vessels, investigate oxygenation and hemodynamic responses, and support research on neurovascular coupling. Because it offers greater penetration than conventional optical microscopy, it is also relevant to longitudinal studies and has potential value for clinical translation and disorders involving blood flow.