Abstract
Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) is a minimally invasive technique currently deployed to treat venous insufficiencies, such as varicose veins. Currently, ultrasound (US) imaging helps vascular surgeons in guiding the ablation fiber through the diseased veins. However, in perforating veins, US imaging is unable to track and visualize the fiber because it suffers from angular dependency and low contrast to noise (CNR) ratio. At the same time, US imaging lacks the ability to distinguish between the fiber tip and the cross section of the fiber body. Additionally, existing clinical EVLA procedures lack real-time temperature monitoring, which may lead to an insufficient thermal dose or endovenous heat induced thrombosis. In this study, we propose a simple, cost-effective solution for integrating photoacoustic (PA) imaging into the current EVLA system for accurate fiber tip tracking and real-time temperature monitoring.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call