The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
J Biomed Opt. 2010 Mar-Apr;15(2):021309. doi: 10.1117/1.3368686.
The ability to visualize and track temporarily or permanently implanted metal devices is important in many applications ranging from diagnosis to therapy. Specifically, reliable imaging of metal needles is required in today's clinical settings. Currently, ultrasound is utilized to image a needle inserted into tissue in real time. However, the diagnostic value and tracking ability of these images depends highly on the orientation of the needle, and also its proximity to regions of interest in the tissue. We examine the use of photoacoustic imaging combined with current ultrasound imaging methods to obtain high-contrast images of commonly used needles in the body. Experiments were performed using 21 G and 30 G needles inserted into ex vivo porcine tissue and tissue-mimicking phantoms. The needles and surrounding tissue were imaged using an ultrasound imaging system interfaced with the pulsed laser source necessary for photoacoustic imaging. The results suggest that photoacoustic imaging, combined with ultrasound imaging, is capable of real-time, high-contrast, and high-spatial-resolution visualization of metal implants within anatomical landmarks of the background tissue.
在从诊断到治疗等多种应用中，能够可视化和跟踪临时或永久植入的金属设备是非常重要的。具体来说，在当今的临床环境中，需要可靠地对金属针进行成像。目前，超声被用于实时成像插入组织中的针。然而，这些图像的诊断价值和跟踪能力高度依赖于针的方向，以及其与组织中感兴趣区域的接近程度。我们研究了将光声成象与现有的超声成像方法结合使用，以获得体内常用针的高对比度图像。使用插入离体猪组织和组织模拟体模中的 21 G 和 30 G 针进行了实验。使用与脉冲激光源接口的超声成像系统对针和周围组织进行成像，该脉冲激光源是光声成象所必需的。结果表明，光声成象与超声成象结合使用，可以实时、高对比度和高空间分辨率地可视化背景组织解剖标志内的金属植入物。
