Biomedical Optoacoustic Tomograph Based on a Cylindrical Focusing PVDF Antenna

Resumo

We developed an optoacoustic tomograph with hand-held probe designed for optoacoustic imaging of biological tissues. The hand-held probe consists of a fiber-optic bundle for delivery of pulsed laser radiation to the studied object and a cylindrical focusing 64-element antenna for the detection of optoacoustic pulses. The capabilities of the tomograph to visualize the model blood vessels were studied experimentally using electronic and electronic–mechanical scanning. The achieved axial/lateral spatial resolution is 200/400 μm, the imaging depth is 18 mm, and the maximum B-scan acquisition rate is 10 Hz.