The sound of light: photoacoustics for biomedical applications

Abstract

Medical imaging techniques provide a unique view inside the body and are invaluable for diagnosis and disease monitoring. From X-ray, over MRI to ultrasound, the field is vast and diverse. When imaging biological tissue, the choice of the modality depends on the contrast used for imaging and the trade-off between resolution and depth. Light waves, e.g. used in endoscopy or microscopy, can generate high-resolution images but don't travel far unperturbed. Deeper in tissue, the light gets scattered resulting in blurry images. High-energy X-rays form a special case as they penetrate deep into the tissue and yield highresolution images, but this ionizing radiation limits their use.