Design, implementation, and analysis of a compressed sensing photoacoustic projection imaging system.

Significance: Compressed sensing (CS) uses special measurement designs combined with powerful mathematical algorithms to reduce the amount of data to be collected while maintaining image quality. This is relevant to almost any imaging modality, and in this paper we focus on CS in photoacoustic projection imaging (PAPI) with integrating line detectors (ILDs). Aim: Our previous research involved rather general CS measurements, where each ILD can contribute to any measurement. In the real world, however, the design of CS measurements is subject to practical constraints. In this research, we aim at a CS-PAPI system where each measurement involves only a subset of ILDs, and which can be implemented in a cost-effective manner. Approach: We extend the existing PAPI with a self-developed CS unit. The system provides structured CS matrices for which the existing recovery theory cannot be applied directly. A random search strategy is applied to select the CS measurement matrix within this class for which we obtain exact sparse recovery. Results: We implement a CS PAPI system for a compression factor of 4:3, where specific measurements are made on separate groups of 16 ILDs. We algorithmically design optimal CS measurements that have proven sparse CS capabilities. Numerical experiments are used to support our results. Conclusions: CS with proven sparse recovery capabilities can be integrated into PAPI, and numerical results support this setup. Future work will focus on applying it to experimental data and utilizing data-driven approaches to enhance the compression factor and generalize the signal class.

Radiation-induced alterations in multi-layered, in-vitro skin models detected by optical coherence tomography and histological methods.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory skin reactions and skin alterations are still a potential side effect in radiation therapy (RT), which also need attention for patients' health care. METHOD: In a pre-clinical study we consider alterations in irradiated in-vitro skin models of epidermal and dermal layers. Typical dose regimes in radiation therapy are applied for irradiation. For non-invasive imaging and characterization optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used. Histological staining method is additionally applied for comparison and discussion. RESULTS: Structural features, such as keratinization, modifications in epidermal cell layer thickness and disorder in the layering-as indications for reactions to ionizing radiation and aging-could be observed by means of OCT and confirmed by histology. We were able to recognize known RT induced changes such as hyper-keratosis, acantholysis, and epidermal hyperplasia as well as disruption and/or demarcation of the dermo-epidermal junction. CONCLUSION: The results may pave the way for OCT to be considered as a possible adjunctive tool to detect and monitor early skin inflammation and side effects of radiotherapy, thus supporting patient healthcare in the future.

All-optical photoacoustic projection imaging.

We introduce all-optical photoacoustic projection imaging. An array of fiber-optic interferometers is used to measure photoacoustic signals. The obtained images represent the projection of the three-dimensional spatial light absorbance within a sample onto a two-dimensional plane. We assess the performance of the system by phantom measurements and show that the fiber-optic detectors achieve a noise-equivalent pressure of 24 Pascal at a 10 MHz bandwidth. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to acquire high-resolution projection images of large volumes within a short period of time.

Characterization of broadband fiber optic line detectors for photoacoustic tomography.

The frequency response of fiber optic line detectors is investigated in the presented paper. An analytical model based on oblique scattering of elastic waves is used to calculate the frequency dependent acousto-optical transfer functions of bare glass optical and polymer optical fibers. From the transfer functions the transient response of fibers detectors to photoacoustically excited spherical sources is derived. Photoacoustic tomography is simulated by calculating the temporal response of arrays of fiber optic line detectors and subsequent image reconstruction. The results show that the choice of the fiber material is of significant importance and influences the quality of imaging.