3D confocal photoacoustic dermoscopy using a multifunctional sono-opto probe

Abstract

In spite of acoustic or optical zoom lenses have been developed in photoacoustic dermoscopy (PAD) to promote human skin imaging capability, an acoustic and optical synchronous zoom lens-based confocal PAD (CPAD) system hasn't been acquired yet reviously, for all we know. Here, we exploited a 3D-CPAD equipped with a multifunction sono-opto probe to facilitate the acquisition of high resolution 3D imaging of human skins with uneven surface or multilayer structures in depth direction. The integration of an sono-opto probe of an electrowetting-based zoom lens can be used to adjust of the acoustic or optical confocal length. With the sono-opto probe, the 3D-CPAD achieved a confocal focus-shifting range with a high spatial resolution, substantially shortening the synchronous varifocal time of acoustic and optical zoom lenses. Performance tests and 3D imaging of human skin have been carried out to prove that the sono-opto probe has very good prospects for studying the physio-pathology of clinical skin diseases, and promoting the development of in vivo rapid-noninvasive PAD 3D imaging.