title: Broadband miniature optical ultrasound probe for high resolution vascular tissue imaging.
abstract: An all-optical ultrasound probe for vascular tissue imaging was developed. Ultrasound was generated by pulsed laser illumination of a functionalized carbon nanotube composite coating on the end face of an optical fiber. Ultrasound was detected with a Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity on the end face of an adjacent optical fiber. The probe diameter was < 0.84 mm and had an ultrasound bandwidth of ~20 MHz. The probe was translated across the tissue sample to create a virtual linear array of ultrasound transmit/receive elements. At a depth of 3.5 mm, the axial resolution was 64 µm and the lateral resolution was 88 µm, as measured with a carbon fiber target. Vascular tissues from swine were imaged ex vivo and good correspondence to histology was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Colchester
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Edward Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mosse
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Beard
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papakonstantinou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Adrien E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Desjardins
keywords: (060.2380) Fiber optics sources and detectors; (110.2350) Fiber optics imaging; (110.5125) Photoacoustics; (170.0110) Imaging systems; (170.7170) Ultrasound