title: Feasibility of in vivo intravascular photoacoustic imaging using integrated ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging catheter.
abstract: Pilot studies of in vivo combined intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging are reported. A recently introduced prototype of an integrated IVUS/IVPA imaging catheter consisting of a single-element ultrasound transducer and a light delivery system based on a single optical fiber was adapted and used for in vivo imaging of a coronary stent deployed in a rabbit's thoracic aorta in the presence of luminal blood. The results suggest that in vivo IVUS/IVPA imaging is feasible using the integrated IVUS/IVPA imaging catheter. The challenges of in vivo combined IVUS/IVPA imaging are discussed, and further improvements on the design of the catheter and the clinical imaging system are proposed.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Andrei B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Karpiouk
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amirian
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Smalling
authors.forename: Stanislav Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Emelianov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D061088:Photoacoustic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation*