Visualization and detection of early-stage gynecological malignancies represents a challenge for imaging due to limiting factors including tissue accessibility, device ease of use, and accuracy of imaging modalities. In this work, we introduce a miniaturized phased-array ultrasound and photoacoustic endoscopic probe which is capable of providing structural, functional, and molecular data for the characterization of gynecologic disease. The proposed probe consists of a 64-element ultrasound phased-array transducer coupled to a fiber-optic light delivery system for co-registered ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging. The fabricated US and PA imaging endoscope's diameter is 7.5 mm, allowing for potential passage through the cervical canal and thus an intimate contact with gynecological tissues such as the cervical canal and uterus. The developed endoscopic probe was tested and characterized in a set of tissue-mimicking phantoms. US and PA resolutions were measured experimentally using 200 μm diameter wires, resulting in apparent axial and lateral diameters of 289 μm and 299 μm for US, and 308 μm and 378 μm for PA, respectively. The probe's abilities to operate in both discrete and integrated illumination/acquisition were tested in gelatin phantoms with embedded optical absorbers with the results demonstrating the ability to acquire volumetric dual-modal US and PA images.
Keywords: Diagnostic imaging; Endoscope; Fiber optic; Gynecologic cancer; Phased-array; Photoacoustic; Ultrasound.