Integrated ultrasound and photoacoustic probe for co-registered intravascular imaging
Abstract
We report on the synergy of an integrated ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) probe system for intravascular imaging. The combined dual-modality probe is based on a 39 MHz ring-shaped US transducer which detects both US echoes and laser-generated PA signals. By combining optical fiber, US transducer, and micromirror, we can obtain intravascular cross-sectional B-scan images by internal illumination of the sample. The performance of the probe is evaluated in a phantom study. Moreover, the coaxially designed probe also provides co-registered US and PA images of a normal rabbit aorta, which demonstrates the imaging ability of the dual-functional system, implying future clinical applications.
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