Stafford-Williams Robert M, Colchester Richard J, Bodian Semyon, Cardiff Seán, Maneas Efthymios, Zhang Edward Z, Beard Paul C, Tiwari Manish K, Desjardins Adrien E, Alles Erwin J
University College London, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, London, United Kingdom.
University College London, Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, London, United Kingdom.
J Biomed Opt. 2025 Mar;30(3):036005. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.30.3.036005. Epub 2025 Mar 21.
Minimally invasive surgery offers improved recovery times and reduced complication risk compared with open surgery. However, effective image acquisition probes suitable for deployment in clinical workflows are key to the success of such procedures. Fiber-optic optical ultrasound (OpUS) offers strong potential for interventional image guidance due to its small lateral probe dimensions and high imaging resolution, but to date, such miniature imaging probes have only yielded M-mode (single image line) or still images.
Here, we present a motorized actuation approach to fiber-optic interventional OpUS imaging that enables sustained and video-rate imaging while retaining its small form factor.
A fabrication method utilizing a commercial laser cutter is presented that yields partially forward-emitting OpUS sources ideally suited for interventional image guidance. These transmitters were incorporated into a miniature imaging probe with a width of just (1.8 mm with protective encapsulation) and combined with a linear actuator to synthesize an imaging aperture at the distal end of the probe through manipulation at its proximal end.
The presented imaging paradigm achieved real-time, two-dimensional OpUS imaging at frame rates of up to 7 Hz and was capable of high-resolution imaging ( axial and lateral). The imaging performance of the presented imaging system was assessed using various imaging phantoms, and its clinical suitability was confirmed by emulating endobronchial OpUS imaging through a commercial bronchoscope.
These results constitute the first-ever sustained, real-time dynamic imaging using a side-viewing single-element OpUS probe via rapid actuation, which enables a wide range of applications in minimally invasive surgical guidance.
与开放手术相比，微创手术可缩短恢复时间并降低并发症风险。然而，适用于临床工作流程的有效图像采集探头是此类手术成功的关键。光纤光学超声（OpUS）因其横向探头尺寸小和成像分辨率高，在介入图像引导方面具有巨大潜力，但迄今为止，此类微型成像探头仅能产生M模式（单图像线）或静态图像。
在此，我们提出一种用于光纤介入式OpUS成像的电动驱动方法，该方法能够实现持续的视频速率成像，同时保持其小尺寸外形。
提出了一种利用商用激光切割机的制造方法，该方法可生产出部分向前发射的OpUS光源，非常适合介入图像引导。这些发射器被集成到一个宽度仅为（带保护封装时为1.8毫米）的微型成像探头中，并与一个线性致动器相结合，通过在探头近端进行操作，在探头远端合成一个成像孔径。
所提出的成像模式实现了高达7赫兹帧率的实时二维OpUS成像，并且能够进行高分辨率成像（轴向和横向）。使用各种成像体模评估了所提出成像系统的成像性能，并通过商用支气管镜模拟支气管内OpUS成像，证实了其临床适用性。
这些结果首次展示了通过快速驱动，使用侧视单元素OpUS探头进行持续、实时动态成像，这使得其在微创手术引导中有广泛的应用。
