This study aimed to clinically translate our previously proposed translational needle photoacoustic (PA) probe by integrating it with standard prostate biopsy procedures. The all-optical components, enclosed within an 18G clinical standard steel needle, included an optical fiber diffusor and a fiber hydrophone. During the biopsy, the needle PA probe was inserted into the prostate through a guide needle, monitored by real-time transrectal ultrasound imaging fused with pre-procedure magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Tunable wavelengths were employed to target specific tissue components. For each patient, we focused on one normal area and one cancerous area, as identified by MRI. We then quantified the PA signals via PA spectral analysis and compared them with histology results. This ongoing study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method in differentiating between normal and cancerous tissues in the human prostate.
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