Full noncontact laser ultrasound: first human data
Full noncontact laser ultrasound: first human data
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DOI：
10.1038/s41377-019-0229-8
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发表时间：
2019-12-20
影响因子：
19.4
通讯作者：
Anthony, Brian W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Zhang, Xiang;Fincke, Jonathan R.;Anthony, Brian W.
与目前的医学超声（US）技术相比，全非接触式激光超声（LUS）成像具有几个明显的优势：消除了耦合介质（凝胶/水）、独立于操作人员的图像质量、提高了可重复性和体积成像。目前利用组织穿透光声（PA）的光基超声通常使用传统的压电换能器与成像组织接触或在成像部位附近携带光纤探测器。与PA不同，这里提出的LUS设计最大限度地减少了光穿透，并特别限制了组织表面的光-声能量转导，最大限度地提高了产生的声源振幅。通过适当的光学设计和干涉测量，任何暴露的组织表面都可以成为可行的声源和探测器。LUS的工作原理与传统超声波类似，但使用的是光而不是压电元件。在这里，我们展示了完整的非接触式LUS结果，在距离目标表面一米的距离上，对类似5厘米深度的目标进行成像。实验结果证明了体积成像和人类的第一个LUS图像，都是在眼睛和皮肤安全的光学暴露水平。通过常规超声图像的验证，显示了LUS成像从组织模拟幻象到切除动物组织再到活体人类的进展。本文提出的LUS系统设计见解和结果启发了LUS的进一步发展，是LUS临床实施的重要一步。
Full noncontact laser ultrasound (LUS) imaging has several distinct advantages over current medical ultrasound (US) technologies: elimination of the coupling mediums (gel/water), operator-independent image quality, improved repeatability, and volumetric imaging. Current light-based ultrasound utilizing tissue-penetrating photoacoustics (PA) generally uses traditional piezoelectric transducers in contact with the imaged tissue or carries an optical fiber detector close to the imaging site. Unlike PA, the LUS design presented here minimizes the optical penetration and specifically restricts optical-to-acoustic energy transduction at the tissue surface, maximizing the generated acoustic source amplitude. With an appropriate optical design and interferometry, any exposed tissue surfaces can become viable acoustic sources and detectors. LUS operates analogously to conventional ultrasound but uses light instead of piezoelectric elements. Here, we present full noncontact LUS results, imaging targets at similar to 5 cm depths and at a meter-scale standoff from the target surface. Experimental results demonstrating volumetric imaging and the first LUS images on humans are presented, all at eye- and skin-safe optical exposure levels. The progression of LUS imaging from tissue-mimicking phantoms, to excised animal tissue, to humans in vivo is shown, with validation from conventional ultrasound images. The LUS system design insights and results presented here inspire further LUS development and are a significant step toward the clinical implementation of LUS.