Francis Kalloor Joseph, Chinni Bhargava, Channappayya Sumohana S, Pachamuthu Rajalakshmi, Dogra Vikram S, Rao Navalgund
Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, 502285, India.
Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Photoacoustics. 2017 Sep 23;8:37-47. doi: 10.1016/j.pacs.2017.09.003. eCollection 2017 Dec.
Some of the challenges in translating photoacoustic (PA) imaging to clinical applications includes limited view of the target tissue, low signal to noise ratio and the high cost of developing real-time systems. Acoustic lens based PA imaging systems, also known as PA cameras are a potential alternative to conventional imaging systems in these scenarios. The 3D focusing action of lens enables real-time C-scan imaging with a 2D transducer array. In this paper, we model the underlying physics in a PA camera in the mathematical framework of an imaging system and derive a closed form expression for the point spread function (PSF). Experimental verification follows including the details on how to design and fabricate the lens inexpensively. The system PSF is evaluated over a 3D volume that can be imaged by this PA camera. Its utility is demonstrated by imaging phantom and an human prostate tissue sample.
将光声（PA）成像技术转化为临床应用面临一些挑战，包括目标组织视野受限、信噪比低以及开发实时系统成本高昂。基于声学透镜的PA成像系统，也被称为PA相机，在这些情况下是传统成像系统的一种潜在替代方案。透镜的三维聚焦作用可通过二维换能器阵列实现实时C扫描成像。在本文中，我们在成像系统的数学框架内对PA相机的基础物理原理进行建模，并推导出点扩散函数（PSF）的闭式表达式。随后进行了实验验证，包括如何低成本设计和制造透镜的细节。在该PA相机能够成像的三维体积上评估了系统PSF。通过对仿体和人类前列腺组织样本成像展示了其效用。
