Insights into photoacoustic speckle and applications in tumor characterization

Eno Hysi; Muhannad N. Fadhel; Michael J. Moore; Jason Zalev; Eric M. Strohm; Michael C. Kolios

doi:10.1016/j.pacs.2019.02.002

Insights into photoacoustic speckle and applications in tumor characterization

Eno Hysi, Muhannad N. Fadhel, Michael J. Moore, Jason Zalev, Eric M. Strohm, Michael C. Kolios^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

In ultrasound imaging, fully-developed speckle arises from the spatiotemporal superposition of pressure waves backscattered by randomly distributed scatterers. Speckle appearance is affected by the imaging system characteristics (lateral and axial resolution) and the random-like nature of the underlying tissue structure. In this work, we examine speckle formation in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic (PA) imaging using simulations and experiments. Numerical and physical phantoms were constructed to demonstrate that PA speckle carries information related to unresolved absorber structure in a manner similar to ultrasound speckle and unresolved scattering structures. A fractal-based model of the tumor vasculature was used to study PA speckle from unresolved cylindrical vessels. We show that speckle characteristics and the frequency content of PA signals can be used to monitor changes in average vessel size, linked to tumor growth. Experimental validation on murine tumors demonstrates that PA speckle can be utilized to characterize the unresolved vasculature in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic imaging.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	37-48
Number of pages	12
Journal	Photoacoustics
Volume	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2019.02.002
State	Published - Jun 2019

Funding

This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) , the Terry Fox Foundation and the Canada Research Chairs Program . EH is supported by an NSERC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship . The authors would like to acknowledge Drs. Ping Gong, Sankar Narasimhan, Ratan Saha and Subhajit Karmakar for their insights in the theoretical discussions of speckle. The assistance of Drs. Jonathan May, Lauren Wirtzfeld and Shyh-Dar Li and Elijus Undzys for the in-vivo experiments is gratefully acknowledged.

Keywords

Autocovarience function
In-vivo imaging
Photoacoustic speckle
Spatial resolution
Tumor vasculature
Ultrasound speckle
Vascular trees

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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title = "Insights into photoacoustic speckle and applications in tumor characterization",

abstract = "In ultrasound imaging, fully-developed speckle arises from the spatiotemporal superposition of pressure waves backscattered by randomly distributed scatterers. Speckle appearance is affected by the imaging system characteristics (lateral and axial resolution) and the random-like nature of the underlying tissue structure. In this work, we examine speckle formation in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic (PA) imaging using simulations and experiments. Numerical and physical phantoms were constructed to demonstrate that PA speckle carries information related to unresolved absorber structure in a manner similar to ultrasound speckle and unresolved scattering structures. A fractal-based model of the tumor vasculature was used to study PA speckle from unresolved cylindrical vessels. We show that speckle characteristics and the frequency content of PA signals can be used to monitor changes in average vessel size, linked to tumor growth. Experimental validation on murine tumors demonstrates that PA speckle can be utilized to characterize the unresolved vasculature in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic imaging.",

keywords = "Autocovarience function, In-vivo imaging, Photoacoustic speckle, Spatial resolution, Tumor vasculature, Ultrasound speckle, Vascular trees",

author = "Eno Hysi and Fadhel, {Muhannad N.} and Moore, {Michael J.} and Jason Zalev and Strohm, {Eric M.} and Kolios, {Michael C.}",

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year = "2019",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.pacs.2019.02.002",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "14",

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AU - Hysi, Eno

AU - Fadhel, Muhannad N.

AU - Moore, Michael J.

AU - Zalev, Jason

AU - Strohm, Eric M.

AU - Kolios, Michael C.

PY - 2019/6

Y1 - 2019/6

N2 - In ultrasound imaging, fully-developed speckle arises from the spatiotemporal superposition of pressure waves backscattered by randomly distributed scatterers. Speckle appearance is affected by the imaging system characteristics (lateral and axial resolution) and the random-like nature of the underlying tissue structure. In this work, we examine speckle formation in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic (PA) imaging using simulations and experiments. Numerical and physical phantoms were constructed to demonstrate that PA speckle carries information related to unresolved absorber structure in a manner similar to ultrasound speckle and unresolved scattering structures. A fractal-based model of the tumor vasculature was used to study PA speckle from unresolved cylindrical vessels. We show that speckle characteristics and the frequency content of PA signals can be used to monitor changes in average vessel size, linked to tumor growth. Experimental validation on murine tumors demonstrates that PA speckle can be utilized to characterize the unresolved vasculature in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic imaging.

AB - In ultrasound imaging, fully-developed speckle arises from the spatiotemporal superposition of pressure waves backscattered by randomly distributed scatterers. Speckle appearance is affected by the imaging system characteristics (lateral and axial resolution) and the random-like nature of the underlying tissue structure. In this work, we examine speckle formation in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic (PA) imaging using simulations and experiments. Numerical and physical phantoms were constructed to demonstrate that PA speckle carries information related to unresolved absorber structure in a manner similar to ultrasound speckle and unresolved scattering structures. A fractal-based model of the tumor vasculature was used to study PA speckle from unresolved cylindrical vessels. We show that speckle characteristics and the frequency content of PA signals can be used to monitor changes in average vessel size, linked to tumor growth. Experimental validation on murine tumors demonstrates that PA speckle can be utilized to characterize the unresolved vasculature in acoustic-resolution photoacoustic imaging.

KW - Autocovarience function

KW - In-vivo imaging

KW - Photoacoustic speckle

KW - Spatial resolution

KW - Tumor vasculature

KW - Ultrasound speckle

KW - Vascular trees

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Insights into photoacoustic speckle and applications in tumor characterization

Abstract

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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