Three-dimensional photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has gained considerable attention within the biomedical imaging community during the past decade. Detecting laser-induced photoacoustic waves by optical sensing techniques facilitates the idea of all-optical PAM (AOPAM), which is of particular interest as it provides unique advantages for achieving high spatial resolution using miniaturized embodiments of the imaging system. The review presents the technology aspects of optical-sensing techniques for ultrasound detection, such as those based on optical resonators, as well as system developments of all-optical photoacoustic systems including PAM, photoacoustic endoscopy, and multi-modality microscopy. The progress of different AOPAM systems and their representative applications are summarized.
Keywords: All-optical detection; Biomedical photoacoustics; Optical ultrasound detection; Photoacoustic endoscopy; Photoacoustic microscopy.