Non-line-of-sight photoacoustic imaging

TL;DR

This paper explores non-line-of-sight photoacoustic imaging through the skull, using simulations to demonstrate improved image quality by considering reflected signals for non-invasive brain imaging.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to enhance transcranial photoacoustic imaging by employing non-line-of-sight techniques with the skull as a reflector.

Findings

Reflected signals improve image quality.

Using the temporal bone as an imaging window reduces skull attenuation.

Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the method.

Abstract

Photoacoustic imaging is a promising imaging technique for human brain due to its high sensitivity and functional imaging ability. However, the skull would cause strong attenuation and distortion to the photoacoustic signals, which makes non-invasive transcranial imaging difficult. In this work, the temporal bone is selected as an imaging window to minimize the influence of the skull. Moreover, non-line-of-sight photoacoustic imaging is introduced to enhance the field of view, where the skull is considered as a reflector. Simulation studies are carried out to show that the image quality can be improved with reflected signal considered.