title: Tomographic imaging of absolute optical absorption coefficient in turbid media using combined photoacoustic and diffusing light measurements.
abstract: We present a new method that can provide high resolution images of absolute optical absorption coefficient in heterogeneous turbid media. In this method, acoustic measurements in conventional photoacoustic tomography are combined with diffusing light measurements to separate the product of absorption coefficient and optical fluence or photon density. We validate this method using a series of tissuelike phantom experiments. The experimental results show that targets as small as 0.5 mm in diameter with optical absorption contrasts as low as 1.5 relative to a 50 mm diameter scattering background medium can be clearly detected.
authors.affiliation: J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qizhi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Huabei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000162:Acoustics; D004058:Diffusion; D004867:Equipment Design; D008027:Light; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods; D017785:Photons; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D014054:Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*