Gabe A. Kruger

Thermoacoustic computed tomography–technical considerations

We have constructed a thermoacoustic computed tomography scanner for imaging soft tissue in the human body. Thermoacoustic signals are induced in soft tissue by irradiation with 434 MHz rf energy. The thermoacoustic signals are detected by an array of transducers mounted on a hemispherical bowl. A three-dimensional, filtered backprojection algorithm is used to reconstruct rf absorption patterns within soft tissue. We have demonstrated soft tissue differentiation sufficient to delineate the normal internal structures of an excised lamb kidney using safe levels of rf radiation.

Thermoacoustic molecular imaging of small animals.

We have designed, constructed, and tested a thermoacoustic computed tomography (TCT) scanner for imaging optical absorption in small animals in three dimensions. The device utilizes pulsed laser irradiation (680-1064 nm) and a unique, 128-element transducer array. We quantified the isotropic spatial resolution of this scanner to be 0.35 mm. We describe a dual-wavelength subtraction technique for isolating optical dyes with TCT. Phantom experiments demonstrate that we can detect 5 fmol of a near-infrared dye (indocyanine green, ICG) in a 1-microL volume using dual-wavelength subtraction. Initial TCT imaging in phantoms and in two sacrificed mice suggests that three-dimensional, optical absorption patterns in small animals can be detected with an order of magnitude better spatial resolution and an order of magnitude better low-contrast detectability in small animals when compared to fluorescence imaging or diffusion optical tomography.

Thermoacoustic CT: imaging principles

We have developed instrumentation for measuring the tissue- absorption properties of radio waves in the human body using thermoacoustic interactions. The imaging principles upon which this instrumentation is based are applicable to other irradiation sources, such as visible and IR. We present the imaging reconstruction methodology that we have developed for mapping radiation absorption pattern sin 3D. Both simulated and experimental data are used to illustrate imaging principles.

Application of thermoacoustic computed tomography to breast imaging

Acoustic pressure waves are induced in soft tissue whenever time-varying radiation is absorbed. By recording these time- dependent pressure waves over a sufficient number of angles surrounding the tissue being imaged, it is possible to reconstruct the pattern of radiation absorption within the tissue in three dimensions with spatial resolution that is independent of the carrier frequency of the irradiating energy. We recently constructed the worlds first thermoacoustic computed tomography (TACT) scanner, which exploits this physical interaction. Initial in vivo imaging of a human breast was performed using safe levels of 434 MHz radiation. Good soft tissue differentiation with 2 - 5 mm spatial resolution to a depth of 40 mm was achieved. The absorption properties of the breast and the irradiation pattern within the breast determined the TACT image contrast. The length of the RF pulse, the size of the transducers and their frequency response, the geometry of the detector array, and the reconstruction algorithm that was used determined the spatial resolution. We conclude that TACT imaging may have application to breast cancer detection.

Improving limited-view reconstruction in photoacoustic tomography by incorporating a priori boundary information

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is an emerging ultrasound-mediated biophotonic imaging modality that has great potential for many biomedical imaging applications. In many practical implementations of PAT, the photoacoustic signals are recorded over an aperture that does not enclose the object, which results in a limitedview tomographic reconstruction problem. When conventional reconstruction algorithms are applied to limitedview measurement data, the resulting images can contain severe image artifacts and distortions. To circumvent such artifacts, we exploit a priori information about the locations of boundaries within the object (optical absorption function) to improve the fidelity of the reconstructed images. Such boundary information can be inferred, for example, from a co-registered B-mode ultrasound image or other adjunct imaging study. We develop and implement an iterative reconstruction algorithm that exploits a priori object information in the form of support constraints. We demonstrate that the developed iterative reconstruction algorithm produces images with reduced artifact levels as compared to those produced by a conventional PAT reconstruction algorithm.

Thermoacoustic CT scanner for breast imaging: design considerations

We have previously developed instrumentation for performing thermoacoustic computed tomography (TCT) of the human breast using 434 MHz radio waves. Recently, we have modified our original TCT scanner design in a number of important ways. We have increased the number of ultrasound detectors and decreased their size, and we have replaced our single RF wave- guide with a phased array of eight wave-guides. These modifications have led to increased spatial resolution, increased imaging field of view, and decreased scan time. Here we report the design considerations that led to these improvements.

Thermoacoustic in vivo determination of blood oxygenation

We have utilized a prototype Thermoacoustic Computed Tomography Small Animal Imaging System to acquire images of athymic mice with bilateral tumors implanted in the cranial mammary fat pads. The breast tumor cell lines used in the study, which are MCF7, and MCF7 transfected with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), exhibit distinctly contrasting levels of vascularization. Three dimensional images of the mice, acquired using pulses of NIR stimulating light, demonstrate the ability of the system to generate high resolution images of the vascular system up to one inch deep in tissue, and at the same time, differentiate tissue types based on the infrared absorption properties of the tissue; a property related in part to blood content and oxygenation levels. We have processed images acquired at different stimulating wavelengths to generate images representative of the distribution of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin throughout the tumors. The images demonstrate the in vivo capabilities of the imaging system and map system structure as well as the total, oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin components of the blood.