Photoacoustic image-guided interventions

Abstract

Photoacoustic imaging has demonstrated its potential for diagnosis over the last few decades. In recent years, its unique imaging capabilities, such as detecting structural, functional and molecular information in deep regions with optical contrast and ultrasound resolution, have opened up many opportunities for photoacoustic imaging to be used during image-guided interventions. Numerous studies have investigated the capability of photoacoustic imaging to guide various interventions such as drug delivery, therapies, surgeries, and biopsies. These studies have demonstrated that photoacoustic imaging can guide these interventions effectively and non-invasively in real-time. In this minireview, we will elucidate the potential of photoacoustic imaging in guiding active and passive drug deliveries, photothermal therapy, and other surgeries and therapies using endogenous and exogenous contrast agents including organic, inorganic, and hybrid nanoparticles, as well as needle-based biopsy procedures. The advantages of photoacoustic imaging in guided interventions will be discussed. It will, therefore, show that photoacoustic imaging has great potential in real-time interventions due to its advantages over current imaging modalities like computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging.

Impact statement

Photoacoustic imaging is an emerging modality for use in image-guided interventional procedures. This imaging technology has a unique ability to offer real-time, non-invasive, cost-effective, and radiation-free guidance in a real-world operating environment. This is substantiated in this article which sums up the current state and underlines promising results of research using photoacoustic imaging in guiding drug delivery, therapy, surgery, and biopsy. Hence, this minireview facilitates future research and real-world application of photoacoustic image-guided interventions.