Single transducer LOVIT-enabled photoacoustic imaging: A feasibility study

Clutter dramatically limits the useful imaging depth in clinical photoacoustic (PA) imaging, when the irradiation optics and ultrasound (US) transducer are combined in a single probe to facilitate clinical imaging. Strong PA transients generated mainly from blood and melanin absorbers obscure the signals from within the tissue. In a previously published study, the localized vibration tagging (LOVIT) method was implemented using a complex setup consisting of two separate probes for PA and acoustic radiation force (ARF) to almost fully eliminate clutter and recover the PA signals deep within phantoms. In this study, we demonstrate in tissue-like phantoms that the LOVIT-enabled deep PA imaging can be successfully implemented while using a single transducer for both PA and ARF, fully integrated with the laser optics.