title: In vivo functional chronic imaging of a small animal model using optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy.
abstract: Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) has been validated as a valuable tool for label-free volumetric microvascular imaging. More importantly, the advantages of noninvasiveness and measurement consistency suggest the use of OR-PAM for chronic imaging of intact microcirculation. Here, such chronic imaging is demonstrated for the first time by monitoring the healing process of laser-induced microvascular lesions in a small animal model in vivo. The central part of a 1 mm by 1 mm region in a nude mouse ear was treated under a continuous-wave laser to create a microvascular lesion for chronic study. The region of interest was imaged before the laser treatment, immediately after the treatment, and throughout the healing process using both the authors' OR-PAM system and a commercial transmission-mode optical microscope. Three-dimensional microvascular morphology and blood oxygenation information were imaged simultaneously at capillary-level resolution. Transmission-mode optical microscopic images were acquired for comparison. OR-PAM has potential important applications in microcirculatory physiology or pathophysiology, tumor angiogenesis, laser microsurgery, and neuroscience.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maslov
authors.forename: Lihong V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D051379:Mice; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D055806:Microvessels / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity