Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is a fast-growing biomedical imaging technique that provides high-resolution in vivo imaging beyond the optical diffusion limit. Depending on the scalable lateral resolution and achievable penetration depth, PAM can be classified into optical resolution PAM (OR-PAM) and acoustic resolution PAM (AR-PAM). The use of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner has improved OR-PAM imaging speed significantly and is highly beneficial in the development of miniaturized handheld devices. The shallow penetration depth of OR-PAM limits the use of such devices for a wide range of clinical applications. We report the use of a high-speed MEMS scanner for both OR-PAM and AR-PAM. A high-speed, wide-area scanning integrated OR-AR-PAM system combining MEMS scanner and raster mechanical movement was developed. A lateral resolution of 5 μm and penetration depth ∼0.9-mm in vivo was achieved using OR-PAM at 586 nm, whereas a lateral resolution of 84 μm and penetration depth of ∼2-mm in vivo was achieved using AR-PAM at 532 nm.
Keywords: acoustic resolution PAM; microelectro mechanical systems scanner; optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy (PAM); photoacoustic imaging; photoacoustic microscopy.