title: High-speed intravascular spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging at 1000 A-lines per second with a 0.9-mm diameter catheter.
abstract: Intravascular spectroscopic photoacoustic technology can image atherosclerotic plaque composition with high sensitivity and specificity, which is critical for identifying vulnerable plaques. Here, we designed and engineered a catheter of 0.9 mm in diameter for intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging, smaller than the critical size of 1 mm required for clinical translation. Further, a quasifocusing photoacoustic excitation scheme was developed for the catheter, producing well-detectable IVPA signals from stents and lipids with a laser energy as low as ~30 μJ/pulse. As a result, this design enabled the use of a low-energy, high-repetition rate, ns-pulsed optical parametric oscillator laser for high-speed spectroscopic IVPA imaging at both the 1.2-μm and 1.7-μm spectral bands for lipid detection. Specifically, for each wavelength, a 1-kHz IVPA A-line rate was achieved, ~100-fold faster than previously reported IVPA systems offering a similar wavelength tuning range. Using the system, spectroscopic IVPA imaging of peri-adventitial adipose tissue from a porcine aorta segment was demonstrated. The significantly improved imaging speed, together with the reduced catheter size and multiwavelength spectroscopic imaging ability, suggests that the developed high-speed IVPA technology is of great potential to be further translated for in vivo applications.
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Chengbo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Riqiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: University of Hong Kong, Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine and Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Xiaosong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Key Laboratory of Heal.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004867:Equipment Design; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008954:Models, Biological; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D061088:Photoacoustic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013552:Swine; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*