Han Seongyi, Kye Hyunjun, Kim Chang-Seok, Kim Tae-Kyoung, Yoo Jinwoo, Kim Jeesu
Departments of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering and Optics & Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea.
Department of Electronic Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 Jul 24;23(14):6643. doi: 10.3390/s23146643.
Photoacoustic imaging has emerged as a promising biomedical imaging technique that enables visualization of the optical absorption characteristics of biological tissues in vivo. Among the different photoacoustic imaging system configurations, optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy stands out by providing high spatial resolution using a tightly focused laser beam, which is typically transmitted through optical fibers. Achieving high-quality images depends significantly on optical fluence, which is directly proportional to the signal-to-noise ratio. Hence, optimizing the laser-fiber coupling is critical. Conventional coupling systems require manual adjustment of the optical path to direct the laser beam into the fiber, which is a repetitive and time-consuming process. In this study, we propose an automated laser-fiber coupling module that optimizes laser delivery and minimizes the need for manual intervention. By incorporating a motor-mounted mirror holder and proportional derivative control, we successfully achieved efficient and robust laser delivery. The performance of the proposed system was evaluated using a leaf-skeleton phantom in vitro and a human finger in vivo, resulting in high-quality photoacoustic images. This innovation has the potential to significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy.
光声成像已成为一种很有前景的生物医学成像技术，能够在体内可视化生物组织的光吸收特性。在不同的光声成像系统配置中，光学分辨率光声显微镜通过使用紧密聚焦的激光束提供高空间分辨率而脱颖而出，该激光束通常通过光纤传输。获得高质量图像很大程度上取决于光通量，而光通量与信噪比成正比。因此，优化激光与光纤的耦合至关重要。传统的耦合系统需要手动调整光路以将激光束导入光纤，这是一个重复且耗时的过程。在本研究中，我们提出了一种自动激光 - 光纤耦合模块，该模块可优化激光传输并最大限度减少人工干预的需求。通过结合安装有电机的镜架和比例微分控制，我们成功实现了高效且稳定的激光传输。使用体外叶骨架模型和体内人手指对所提出系统的性能进行了评估，从而获得了高质量的光声图像。这一创新有可能显著提高光学分辨率光声显微镜的质量和效率。
