Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular Biomechanics Group, De Zaale, Eindhoven 5612 AJ, The Netherlands.
Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Department of Vascular Surgery, Michelangelolaan 2, Eindhoven 5623 EJ, The Netherlands.
J Biomed Opt. 2017 Apr 1;22(4):41010. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.22.4.041010.
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) may have the ability to reveal the composition and the anatomical structure of carotid plaques, which determines its mechanical properties and vulnerability. We used PAI and plane wave ultrasound (PUS) imaging to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) images of endarterectomy samples ex vivo and compared the results with histology to investigate the potential of PAI-based identification of intraplaque hemorrhage. Seven carotid plaque samples were obtained from patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy and imaged with a fully integrated hand-held photoacoustic (PA) probe, consisting of a pulsed diode laser ( t pulse = 130 ?? ns , E pulse = 1 ?? mJ , ? = 808 ?? nm ) and a linear array transducer ( f c = 7.5 ?? MHz ). The samples were rotated 360 deg with 10 deg steps, and data were spatially compounded to obtain complete 3-D images of the plaques. Areas of high absorption in the 3-D datasets were identified and compared to histological data of the plaques. Data in six out of seven endarterectomy samples revealed the presence of intraplaque hemorrhages that were not visible in the PUS images. Due to the noninvasive nature of PAI, this ex vivo study may elucidate preclinical studies toward the in vivo, noninvasive, vulnerability assessment of the atherosclerotic carotid plaque.
光声成像（PAI）可能具有揭示颈动脉斑块组成和解剖结构的能力，而这决定了其力学特性和易损性。我们使用 PAI 和平面波超声（PUS）成像技术对颈动脉内膜切除术样本进行了离体三维（3-D）成像，并将结果与组织学进行了比较，以研究基于 PAI 的斑块内出血识别的潜力。从接受颈动脉内膜切除术的患者中获得了 7 个颈动脉斑块样本，并使用完全集成的手持式光声（PA）探头进行了成像，该探头由脉冲二极管激光器（t pulse = 130 ns，E pulse = 1 mJ，? = 808 nm）和线性阵列换能器（f c = 7.5 MHz）组成。样品以 10 度的步长旋转 360 度，并且数据进行了空间复合，以获得斑块的完整 3-D 图像。在 3-D 数据集的高吸收区域被识别，并与斑块的组织学数据进行了比较。在 7 个内膜切除术样本中的 6 个样本中发现了 PUS 图像中不可见的斑块内出血。由于 PAI 的非侵入性，这项离体研究可能阐明了向动脉粥样硬化颈动脉斑块的体内、非侵入性、易损性评估的临床前研究。
