All-optical ultrasound is emerging as an imaging modality well-suited to use in minimally invasive surgical procedures. With this paradigm, ultrasound is both generated and received using light. Recent studies have demonstrated intraluminal ultrasound imaging using a fibre optic device. In this work acoustic simulations were carried out for optimisation of device design. Two device setups were considered; a separate optical fibre for the ultrasound transmitter and receiver and an ultrasound transmitter and receiver combined on a single optical fibre. The image resolution and signal-to-noise ratio were used to evaluate the simulated devices and two parameters were studied, the separation between the transmitter and receiver for the two-fibre device, and the transmitter element size for both device setups. The results demonstrated how device dimensions affect the resulting imaging performance and show the efficacy of using simple acoustic simulations to inform all-optical ultrasound transducer design.
All-optical ultrasound imaging has emerged as paradigm that is well-suited to highly miniaturized applications. With this technique, ultrasound is both generated and received using light, allowing the use of optical fibres for device fabrication. Ultrasound generation typically requires multimode light delivery to provide the pulse energies needed for high pressure generation. Whilst ultrasound reception typically requires single mode light delivery to provide high sensitivity. This means that devices have typically comprised two optical fibres, one multimode for ultrasound generation and one single mode for ultrasound reception. Recently, we demonstrated an all-optical ultrasound imaging device based on a single dual-clad optical fibre. In this work, we build on our previous study and demonstrate rotational imaging with this device. Two copper wire phantoms were imaged, and the wire were well-resolved, demonstrating a signal-to-noise >20 dB. The presented device and system are well-suited for use in minimally invasive and intravascular imaging applications and future work will focus on translating the device.
All-Optical Ultrasound (OpUS) has emerged as an imaging paradigm well-suited for minimally invasive procedures. In particular, OpUS has demonstrated potential in endovascular imaging due to its high degree of miniaturization and mechanical flexibility, high imaging resolution and immunity to electromagnetic interference. Here, we present the first human thrombus imaging using an OpUS device, which was performed on an extracted clot. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using OpUS for thrombus imaging, with the ultimate goal of guiding minimally invasive endovascular clot retrieval procedures.
Accurate identification of the interventional medical device during ultrasound-guided minimally-invasive procedures is of critical importance. A real-time 3D needle tracking system has been developed that utilises a fiber-optic, photoacoustic US transmitter integrated into the needle tip and a custom 2D, 4x4 receiver array attached to a clinical US imaging probe. Ultrasound signals received by the array are used to determine the location of source, which is then registered to the imaging probe and visualised. During initial laboratory measurements of tracking accuracy, the mean displacement between tracked and true distances from the array face was 0.8 ± 0.8 mm.
All-optical ultrasound imaging, in which ultrasound is generated and received using light, is well-suited to minimally invasive surgical procedures. Here we present a device that can provide real-time M-mode ultrasound images, and demonstrate its use imaging a dynamic heart valve phantom. This device, comprising two optical fibres, one with a graphene-polydimethylsiloxane composite coating for ultrasound generation, and a second with a concave Fabry-Perot cavity for ultrasound reception, had a diameter of < 1 mm. This provided a wide ultrasound transmission bandwidth (> 30 MHz) that enabled imaging with high axial resolution (< 50 μm) and large imaging depths (> 2 cm). M-mode imaging with an A-line rate of 100 Hz was demonstrated on a heart valve phantom with realistic mitral valve motion. This work demonstrates the potential for all-optical ultrasound imaging to be used for guidance of intracardiac interventions.
n this study we report the integration of an all-optical ultrasound probe and robotic manipulator. The alloptical ultrasound probe comprised two optical fibres, a MWCNT/PDMS composite coated multimode fibre for ultrasound generation, and a concave Fabry-Perot fibre optic hydrophone for ultrasound reception. The ultrasound probe generated pressures in excess of 2 MPa at 1:5 mm, with a corresponding -6 dB bandwidth of ca. 30 MHz. The probe was built into a rigid endoscope (outer diameter: 5 mm, length: 300 mm) and mounted on a robotic manipulator. Ultrasound A-lines were acquired during robot manipulation in order to reconstruct a 3D image which was displayed as a point cloud. Large area images (80 × 80 mm) of a tissue mimicking gel wax phantom where acquired and displayed in real-time. This work demonstrates the potential for integrating miniature fibre optic ultrasound devices with robotics.
With intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IVOCT), phantom models are invaluable for system characterization and clinical training. However, accurately simulating 3D tissue geometries and heterogeneous optical properties has been challenging with phantom fabrication methods used to date. Anatomical phantom models typically require mesoscale structures integrated with heterogenous materials to simulate optical scattering and absorption by vascular tissue. In this study, we showed that two photon polymerisation (2PP) 3D printing offers the potential to generate complex tissue phantom scaffolds with sub-micron resolution (<200 nm), and that microinjection of tissue mimicking materials into these scaffolds allows for creation of realistic mesoscale anatomical phantom models of both healthy and diseased tissues. We developed three types of IVOCT phantom models: a free-standing wire model, a vessel side-branch model and an arterial plaque model. The free-standing wires ranged in diameter from 5 to 34 microns. Integration of tissue mimicking materials was performed using micropipettes with a tip diameter of 50 to 60 microns. Healthy vascular tissue was simulated using a mixture of PDMS, silicone oil and TiO2. Coconut oil was used to simulate a pathological lipid inclusion. All models were examined using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, prior to imaging with a commercial IVOCT system. To our knowledge, this is the first phantom study to use 2PP 3D printing for OCT phantoms. The combination of optically-generated 3D scaffolds and microinjection of tissue mimicking materials will enable complex imaging phantoms for a wide range of microscopic and mesoscale optical imaging techniques.
Radiofrequency ablation is widely used in cardiology as an effective minimally invasive treatment for atrial fibrillation. However, radiofrequency noise, electronic interference, low resolution and poor tissue contrast complicate real-time lesion monitoring using conventional imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound imaging based on electronic transducers. Recently, a bench-top all-optical ultrasound imaging system, where ultrasound is both generated and detected using light, was presented (doi:10.1364/BOE.9.003481) that achieved high-resolution, video-rate 2D images. In this system, pulsed excitation light was focussed onto a nanocomposite membrane, where it was converted into ultrasound via the photoacoustic effect. Using scanning optics, the resulting optical ultrasound source was translated to synthesise a 1D source aperture comprising irregularly spaced ultrasound sources. Back-scattered ultrasound was detected using a single fibre-optic Fabry-Pérot cavity. Here, this system (which is inherently insensitive to electromagnetic interference) was used to achieve the first video-rate, depth-resolved 2D images acquired during RF ablation using an all-optical ultrasound imaging setup. We used this system to monitor the formation of radiofrequency ablation lesions (max 30 W, 65°C, 60 s) in ex vivo chicken breast samples, at a frame rate of 9 Hz, resolution of 100 µm, an imaging depth >15 mm, and a contrast of up to 30 dB. With its high miniaturisation potential, all-optical ultrasound imaging shows great promise for guiding interventional procedures, where real-time ablation lesion visualisation could improve lesion delivery and patient outcome.
Microscopic and mesoscale optical imaging techniques allow for three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of biological tissue across millimeter-scale regions, and imaging phantom models are invaluable for system characterization and clinical training. Phantom models that replicate complex 3-D geometries with both structural and molecular contrast, with resolution and lateral dimensions equivalent to those of imaging techniques (<20 μm), have proven elusive. We present a method for fabricating phantom models using a combination of two-photon polymerization (2PP) to print scaffolds, and microinjection of tailored tissue-mimicking materials to simulate healthy and diseased tissue. We provide a first demonstration of the capabilities of this method with intravascular optical coherence tomography, an imaging technique widely used in clinical practice. We describe the design, fabrication, and validation of three types of phantom models: a first with subresolution wires (5- to 34-μm diameter) arranged circumferentially, a second with a vessel side-branch, and a third containing a lipid inclusion within a vessel. Silicone hybrid materials and lipids, microinjected within a resin framework created with 2PP, served as tissue-mimicking materials that provided realistic optical scattering and absorption. We demonstrate that optical phantom models made with 2PP and microinjected tissue-mimicking materials can simulate complex anatomy and pathology with exquisite detail.
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging probes can be invaluable for guiding minimally invasive procedures such as coronary stent placement. With current IVUS catheters, ultrasound is generated and received electrically. With electronic transducer elements, it is challenging to achieve wide bandwidths, high sensitivity, and small dimensions suitable for intracoronary imaging. Here we present an all-optical ultrasound (OpUS) transducer, which uses light within fibre-optics to generate and receive ultrasound. These devices have several distinguishing advantages, including the potential to generate and receive wideband ultrasound (tens of MHz) required for high resolution imaging. The side-viewing OpUS transducer is highly miniaturised (< 1.5 mm diameter) with two optical fibres for transmission and reception, and a rotational mechanism for circumferential imaging. The transmitter is a composite of carbon nanotubes and PDMS coated on a multimode fibre tip. Ultrasound is generated within this coating by the photoacoustic effect. The receiver comprises a concave Fabry-Pérot cavity on a single mode fibre tip. Images acquired with the OpUS transducer were characterised using wire phantoms and post-mortem vascular tissue with stents. The axial resolution of this device was less than 70 microns, and the sensitivity was found to be sufficient to resolve pathological features. Subsequently, imaging was conducted in a healthy swine model in vivo and pulsatile motions of the artery were visualised with high fidelity. These studies show the strong potential for all-optical ultrasound to guide minimally invasive surgery.
We report an optical fiber ultrasound transmitter with electrospun MWCNT-polymer composite, generating high-amplitude broadband ultrasound. They produced pressures in the range of conventional intravascular imaging transducers, and can be incorporated into catheters/needles for keyhole surgery
High frequency ultrasound probes such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheters can be invaluable for guiding minimally invasive medical procedures in cardiology such as coronary stent placement and ablation. With current-generation ultrasound probes, ultrasound is generated and received electrically. The complexities involved with fabricating these electrical probes can result in high costs that limit their clinical applicability. Additionally, it can be challenging to achieve wide transmission bandwidths and adequate wideband reception sensitivity with small piezoelectric elements. Optical methods for transmitting and receiving ultrasound are emerging as alternatives to their electrical counterparts. They offer several distinguishing advantages, including the potential to generate and detect the broadband ultrasound fields (tens of MHz) required for high resolution imaging. In this study, we developed a miniature, side-looking, pulse-echo ultrasound probe for intravascular imaging, with fibre-optic transmission and reception. The axial resolution was better than 70 microns, and the imaging depth in tissue was greater than 1 cm. Ultrasound transmission was performed by photoacoustic excitation of a carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composite material; ultrasound reception, with a fibre-optic Fabry-Perot cavity. Ex vivo tissue studies, which included healthy swine tissue and diseased human tissue, demonstrated the strong potential of this technique. To our knowledge, this is the first study to achieve an all-optical pulse-echo ultrasound probe for intravascular imaging. The potential for performing all-optical B-mode imaging (2D and 3D) with virtual arrays of transmit/receive elements, and hybrid imaging with pulse-echo ultrasound and photoacoustic sensing are discussed.
In a wide range of clinical procedures, accurate placement of medical devices such as needles and catheters is critical to optimize patient outcomes. Ultrasound imaging is often used to guide minimally invasive procedures, as it can provide real-time visualization of patient anatomy and medical devices. However, this modality can provide low image contrast for soft tissues, and poor visualization of medical devices that are steeply angled with respect to the incoming ultrasound beams. Photoacoustic sensors can provide information about the spatial distributions of tissue chromophores that could be valuable for guiding minimally invasive procedures. In this study, a system for guiding minimally invasive procedures using photoacoustic sensing was developed. This system included a miniature photoacoustic probe with three optical fibers: one with a bare end for photoacoustic excitation of tissue, a second for photoacoustic excitation of an optically absorbing coating at the distal end to transmit ultrasound, and a third with a Fabry-Perot cavity at the distal end for receiving ultrasound. The position of the photoacoustic probe was determined with ultrasonic tracking, which involved transmitting pulses from a linear-array ultrasound imaging probe at the tissue surface, and receiving them with the fiber-optic ultrasound receiver in the photoacoustic probe. The axial resolution of photoacoustic sensing was better than 70 μm, and the tracking accuracy was better than 1 mm in both axial and lateral dimensions. By translating the photoacoustic probe, depth scans were obtained from different spatial positions, and two-dimensional images were reconstructed using a frequency-domain algorithm.
Detection of tissue structures such as nerves and blood vessels is of critical importance during many needle-based minimally invasive procedures. For instance, unintentional injections into arteries can lead to strokes or cardiotoxicity during interventional pain management procedures that involve injections in the vicinity of nerves. Reliable detection with current external imaging systems remains elusive. Optical generation and reception of ultrasound allow for depth-resolved sensing and they can be performed with optical fibers that are positioned within needles used in clinical practice. The needle probe developed in this study comprised separate optical fibers for generating and receiving ultrasound. Photoacoustic generation of ultrasound was performed on the distal end face of an optical fiber by coating it with an optically absorbing material. Ultrasound reception was performed using a high-finesse Fabry-Pérot cavity. The sensor data was displayed as an M-mode image with a real-time interface. Imaging was performed on a biological tissue phantom.
Novel ultrasound transducers were created with a composite of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that was dip coated onto the end faces of optical fibers. The CNTs were functionalized with oleylamine to allow for their dissolution in xylene, a solvent of PDMS. Ultrasound pulses were generated by illuminating the composite coating with pulsed laser light. At distances of 2 to 16 mm from the end faces, ultrasound pressures ranged from 0.81 to 0.07 MPa and from 0.27 to 0.03 MPa with 105 and 200 μm core fibers, respectively. Using an optical fiber hydrophone positioned adjacent to the coated 200 µm core optical fiber, ultrasound reflectance measurements were obtained from the outer surface of a sheep heart ventricle. The results of this study suggest that ultrasound transducers that comprise optical fibers with CNT-PDMS composite coatings may be suitable for miniature medical imaging probes.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.