DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RASTER-SCAN OPTOACOUSTIC IMAGING

• Main Authors: Oakes, Keith, Schwarz, Mathias
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.10.2021
• Subjects: DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PHYSICS; SURGERY; TESTING

The invention relates to a device and corresponding method for raster-scan optoacoustic imaging, the device comprising: a radiation source comprising at least one Raman laser source, the radiation source being configured to generate a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation, each of the pulses comprising portions of electromagnetic radiation at two or more distinct wavelengths, and at least one acousto-optic tunable filter configured to select, from at least one of the pulses, one of the portions of electromagnetic radiation at one of the wavelengths; an irradiation unit configured to irradiate a region of interest of an object, in particular a biological tissue, with the selected portion of electromagnetic radiation of the at least one pulse; a detection unit configured to detect acoustic waves emitted from the region of interest in response to irradiating the region of interest with the selected portion of electromagnetic radiation of the at least one pulse; and a scanning unit configured to move the irradiation unit and detection unit, on the one hand, and/or the region of interest, on the other hand, along at least one dimension relative to each other so as to position the irradiation unit and detection unit at a plurality of different locations along the at least one dimension relative to the region of interest, and to control the detection unit to detect the acoustic waves at the plurality of locations.