In vivo photoacoustic imaging of nude mice vasculature using a photoacoustic imaging system based on a commercial ultrasound scanner

In-vivo photoacoustic/ultrasound (PA/US) imaging of nude mice was investigated using a photoacoustic imaging system based on a commercial ultrasound scanner HDI-5000. Raw per-channel data was captured and beamformed to generate each individual photoacoustic image with a single laser shot. An ultra-broadband CL15-7 linear array with a center frequency of 8 MHz, combined with a Schott Glass fiber bundle, was used as a compact high resolution imaging probe, with lateral and axial PA resolutions of about 300μm and 200μm, respectively. The imaging system worked in a dual PA-US mode, with the ultrasound outlining the tissue structure and the photoacoustic image showing the blood vessels. PA signals were generated by exposing mice to ultra-short optical pulses from a Nd:YAG-pumped OPO laser operating in a wavelength range of 700-950nm. The corresponding ultrasound images were generated in the regular B-mode with standard delay-and-sum beamforming algorithm. The system resolution was sufficiently high to identify and clearly distinguish the dorsal artery and the two lateral veins in the mouse tail. Both the saphena artery and the ischiatic vein on the cross-section of the mouse leg were clearly outlined in the PA images and correctly overlaid on the ultrasound image of the tissue structure. Similarly, cross-section PA images of the mouse abdomen revealed mesenteric vasculatures located below the abdominal wall. Finally, a successful PA imaging of the mouse thoracic cavity unveiled the ascending and descending aorta. These initial results demonstrate a great potential for a dual photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging modality implemented on a commercial ultrasound imaging scanner.