Open AccessCombined frequency domain photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging for intravascular applications
Author(s) -
Robin F. Castelino,
Michael B. Hynes,
Chelsea E. Munding,
Sergey A. Telenkov,
F. Stuart Foster
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.7.004441
Subject(s) - materials science , optics , intravascular ultrasound , photoacoustic doppler effect , laser , imaging phantom , transducer , chirp , biomedical engineering , continuous wave , photoacoustic effect , optoelectronics , acoustics , medicine , radiology , physics
Intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging has the potential to characterize lipid-rich structures based on the optical absorption contrast of tissues. In this study, we explore frequency domain photoacoustics (FDPA) for intravascular applications. The system employed an intensity-modulated continuous wave (CW) laser diode, delivering 1W over an intensity modulated chirp frequency of 4-12MHz. We demonstrated the feasibility of this approach on an agar vessel phantom with graphite and lipid targets, imaged using a planar acoustic transducer co-aligned with an optical fibre, allowing for the co-registration of IVUS and FDPA images. A frequency domain correlation method was used for signal processing and image reconstruction. The graphite and lipid targets show an increase in FDPA signal as compared to the background of 21dB and 16dB, respectively. Use of compact CW laser diodes may provide a valuable alternative for the development of photoacoustic intravascular devices instead of pulsed laser systems.