Photoacoustic imaging: current status and future development

Photo-acoustic tomography(PAT) is a new ultrasound-mediated biomedical imaging technology which combines the advantages of high optical contrast and high ultrasonic resolution. In theory, PAT can image object embedded several centimeters under the surface of sample with the resolution of tens of microns. In this paper, several representative image reconstruction algorithms are discussed. Because the PA signal is wide band signal, it is hard to get the whole frequency spectrum due to the tremendous calculation needed. Therefore, the most applicable reconstruction algorithms are all performed in time domain such as "delay-and-sum" and "back projection". The current research methods have been focused on optical detecting and piezoelectric detecting. The optical method has the advantage of high spatial sensitivity due to the short wavelength of the probe laser beam. PA signal detecting using piezoelectric sensor has two main modes i.e. using unfocused transducer or transducer array or using focused transducer array or linear transducer array. When a focused transducer array is used, the "delay-and-sum" method is often used for image reconstruction. The advantage of the method is that its data acquisition time can be reduced to several minutes or even several seconds by employing the phase control linear scan technique. The future development in PAT research and its potential clinic application is also presented.