A combined ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging platform for clinical research applications

We present the continued development a clinical ultrasound (US) imaging device with a photoacoustic (PA) mode. The combined USPA imaging platform is designed around a compact US component capable of B-mode, M-mode, color Doppler, and pulsed wave Doppler US imaging modes with a 128 element US probe. The PA mode can support a 256 element PA probe with real-time 2D imaging up to 20 Hz. The PA signals are amplified by a 40 dB pre-amplifier while US mode signals bypass the circuit, resulting in high quality PA images. We demonstrate the USPA platform’s capabilities using tissue-mimicking phantoms.