Feasibility Study of Three-dimensional Co-registered Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging for Cancer Detection and Visualization

摘要

Three-dimensional imaging is very valuable in detecting and visualizing lesions from multiple viewing angles. In addition, co-registered 3D imaging combining conventional ultrasound and photoacoustic tomography allows visualization of tissue structures with simultaneous structural and functional information. We have developed a 1280 element 3D ultrasound imaging system based on a 1.75D acoustic array. Complete volumetric images over the full scanning range can be achieved in a few minutes. In conjunction with a Ti:Sapphire laser, the system has been used for photoacoustic imaging. We present 3D co-registered images obtained with the system. Ultrasound and photoacoustic co-registered images of phantoms with different optical and acoustical properties are shown to demonstrate its advantage in cancer detection.