The feasibility of transcranial imaging of neonatal brains with reflection mode photoacoustic technology has been explored. By using unembalmed infant skulls and fresh canine brains, experiments have been conducted to examine the ultrasound and light attenuation in the skull bone as well as consequent photoacoustic images through the skull. Mapping of blood vessels in a transcranial manner has been successfully achieved by employing the raster scan of a single-element transducer or a 2D PVDF array transducer. Experimental results indicate that noninvasive photoacoustic imaging of neonatal brain with a depth of 2 cm or more beneath the skull is feasible when working with near-infrared light. This study suggests that the emerging photoacoustic technology may become a powerful tool in the future for noninvasive diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of disorders in prenatal or neonatal brains.

Date Published: 12 February 2009
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7177, Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2009, 717709 (12 February 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.806651

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7177:
Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2009
Alexander A. Oraevsky; Lihong V. Wang, Editor(s)