High-resolution imaging using ultrasound-modulated optical tomography

Abstract

We present an implementation of ultrasound-modulated optical tomography that has the potential to provide high resolution images of tissue structures at a penetration depth of several millimeters. Light and pulsed ultrasound are focused on an approximately 100 μm wide area below the sample surface. With this configuration, the length of the ultrasonic pulses determines the axial resolution, and the lateral resolution results from the width of the ultrasonic beam at the focus. Diffuse light reflected from the sample is collected into a fiber and the modulated component is separated from the background by a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer. Using this setup, high contrast images are obtained of 100 μm wide pieces of hair that are buried one millimeter below the surface of the tissue-mimicking sample. It is the first time, to the authors' knowledge, that images with such high resolution have been obtained using ultrasound-modulated optical tomography in the reflection mode.

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