Model-based optoacoustic inversion methods are capable of eliminating image artefacts associated with the widely adopted back-projection reconstruction algorithms. Yet, significant image artefacts might also occur due to reflections and scattering of optoacoustically-induced waves from strongly acoustically-mismatched areas in tissues. Herein, we modify the model-based reconstruction methodology to incorporate statistically-based weighting in order to minimize these artefacts. The method is compared with another weighting procedure termed half-image reconstruction, yielding generally better results. The statistically-based weighting is subsequently verified experimentally, attaining quality improvement of the optoacoustic image reconstructions in the presence of acoustic mismatches in tissue phantoms and small animals ex-vivo.
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