Abstract
We developed a phase-sensitive side-scanning photoacoustic viscoelasticity endoscopy (PAVEE) for mechanical characterization of intraluminal tissues. In PAVEE, the PA phase can be extracted from the optical absorption induced ultrasonic waves and provides an index of viscoelasticity that is closely linked to tissue compositions. The transverse resolution of the PAVEE measured by carbon fiber was about 32 μm. The imaging capability of the PAVEE was verified using a vessel-mimicking phantom with different agar density. Moreover, PAVEE was investigated in processed lumen-shaped vascular tissues to evaluate the biomechanical features, which was highly consistent with the histology. The results demonstrated that the PAVEE can obtain viscoelastic properties of intraluminal tissues, which puts a new insight into the intravascular disease and holds great promise for plaque vulnerability detection.
Highlights
Acute myocardial infarction is the leading cause of death worldwide, which makes the intravascular atherosclerosis detection become extremely important
We developed a phase-sensitive side-scanning photoacoustic viscoelasticity endoscopy (PAVEE) for mechanical characterization of intraluminal tissues
In PAVEE, the PA phase can be extracted from the optical absorption induced ultrasonic waves and provides an index of viscoelasticity that is closely linked to tissue compositions
Summary
Acute myocardial infarction is the leading cause of death worldwide, which makes the intravascular atherosclerosis detection become extremely important. Current clinical endoscopes are focused on detecting the anatomical structure of atherosclerotic plaque. Autopsy studies reveal that morphologic feature is not a sufficient predictor of acute events and the altered mechanical property is a vital consideration [1, 2]. These findings enforce the need for new endoscopic technique to obtain mechanical characterization of atherosclerosis to provide other new insights into its etiology. Intravascular PA tomography is an emerging application of PA imaging, which makes up for the deficiencies of existing intravascular ultrasound and intravascular optical coherence tomography for plaque structural visualization [15–19]. The conventional PA endoscopy do not take underlying mechanical information into account
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