Simultaneous dual-modal photoacoustic and harmonic ultrasound microscopy with an optimized acoustic combiner

Jingyi Zhu; Jiangbo Chen; Mohammadreza Amjadian; Siyi Liang; Zheng Qu; Yue Wang; Yachao Zhang; Lidai Wang

doi:10.1364/BOE.484038

Simultaneous dual-modal photoacoustic and harmonic ultrasound microscopy with an optimized acoustic combiner

Biomed Opt Express. 2023 Mar 24;14(4):1626-1635. doi: 10.1364/BOE.484038. eCollection 2023 Apr 1.

Authors

Jingyi Zhu¹, Jiangbo Chen¹, Mohammadreza Amjadian^{1

2}, Siyi Liang¹, Zheng Qu¹, Yue Wang¹, Yachao Zhang¹, Lidai Wang^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Ave, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
² Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
³ City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Yuexing Yi Dao, Nanshan District, China.

Abstract

Simultaneous photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound (US) imaging provides rich optical and acoustic contrasts with high sensitivity, specificity, and resolution, making it a promising tool for diagnosing and assessing various diseases. However, the resolution and penetration depth tend to be contradictory due to the increased attenuation of high-frequency ultrasound. To address this issue, we present simultaneous dual-modal PA/US microscopy with an optimized acoustic combiner that can maintain high resolution while improving the penetration of ultrasound imaging. A low-frequency ultrasound transducer is used for acoustic transmission, and a high-frequency transducer is used for PA and US detection. An acoustic beam combiner is utilized to merge the transmitting and receiving acoustic beams with a predetermined ratio. By combining the two different transducers, harmonic US imaging and high-frequency photoacoustic microscopy are implemented. In vivo experiments on the mouse brain demonstrate the simultaneous PA and US imaging ability. The harmonic US imaging of the mouse eye reveals finer iris and lens boundary structures than conventional US imaging, providing a high-resolution anatomical reference for co-registered PA imaging.