Chiang Cheng-Feng Tommy, Esteban Isaac, Dean-Ben Xose-Luis, Hsu Jeh-Hsing, Razansky Daniel, Lin Hsiao-Chun Amy
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan.
Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8092, Switzerland.
Photoacoustics. 2025 Aug 7;45:100754. doi: 10.1016/j.pacs.2025.100754. eCollection 2025 Oct.
Spherical arrays are commonly used in volumetric optoacoustic tomography for optimal data acquisition. Yet, such a configuration poses challenges for integration with pulse-echo ultrasound used for image guidance, which relies on different signal acquisition and image formation strategies. A potential solution entails the incorporation of linear array segments into the spherical array to enable hybrid 3D optoacoustic and 2D ultrasound (OPUS) modes. This study aims to optimize ultrasound performance in a hybrid multi-segment spherical array for clinically interpretable images. Focusing on the independent and combined effects of image compounding, the number of consecutive emitting elements, and Richardson-Lucy deconvolution, quantitative analyses of phantom images showed marked improvements in image contrast and resolution. Clinical imaging of a healthy volunteer demonstrated that landmark structures could be effectively enhanced. This work establishes a practical framework for improving ultrasound imaging in OPUS, representing a significant step toward the clinical translation of optoacoustic imaging.
球形阵列常用于容积光声断层成像以实现最佳数据采集。然而，这种配置在与用于图像引导的脉冲回波超声集成时面临挑战，因为脉冲回波超声依赖于不同的信号采集和图像形成策略。一种潜在的解决方案是将线性阵列段并入球形阵列，以实现混合三维光声和二维超声（OPUS）模式。本研究旨在优化混合多段球形阵列中的超声性能，以获得具有临床可解释性的图像。聚焦于图像合成、连续发射元件数量和理查森-鲁西去卷积的独立和联合效应，对体模图像的定量分析显示图像对比度和分辨率有显著改善。对一名健康志愿者的临床成像表明，标志性结构可以得到有效增强。这项工作建立了一个改善OPUS中超声成像的实用框架，代表了光声成像临床转化的重要一步。
