title: Quantitative three-dimensional photoacoustic tomography of the finger joints: an in vivo study.
abstract: We present for the first time in vivo full three-dimensional (3-D) photoacoustic tomography (PAT) of the distal interphalangeal joint in a human subject. Both absorbed energy density and absorption coefficient images of the joint are quantitatively obtained using our finite-element-based photoacoustic image reconstruction algorithm coupled with the photon diffusion equation. The results show that major anatomical features in the joint along with the side arteries can be imaged with a 1-MHz transducer in a spherical scanning geometry. In addition, the cartilages associated with the joint can be quantitatively differentiated from the phalanx. This in vivo study suggests that the 3-D PAT method described has the potential to be used for early diagnosis of joint diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 130 BME Building, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: Huabei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods*