In vivo volumetric monitoring of revascularization of traumatized skin using extended depth-of-field photoacoustic microscopy

Faster and better wound healing is a critical medical issue. Because the repair process of wounds is closely related to revascularization, accurate early assessment and postoperative monitoring are very important for establishing an optimal treatment plan. Herein, we present an extended depth-of-field photoacoustic microscopy system (E-DOF-PAM) that can achieve a constant spatial resolution and relatively uniform excitation efficiency over a long axial range. The superior performance of the system was verified by phantom and in vivo experiments. Furthermore, the system was applied to the imaging of normal and trauma sites of volunteers, and the experimental results accurately revealed the morphological differences between the normal and traumatized skin of the epidermis and dermis. These results demonstrated that the E-DOF-PAM is a powerful tool for observing and understanding the pathophysiology of cutaneous wound healing.