OPTOACOUSTIC IMAGING SYSTEM HAVING HANDHELD PROBE UTILIZING OPTICALLY REFLECTIVE MATERIAL

• US 20140039293A1
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seno Medical Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seno Medical Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Oraevsky, Alexander A., Ermilov, Sergey A., Conjusteau, Andre, Brecht, Peter, Nadvoretskiy, Vyacheslav, Su, Richard, Herzog, Donald G., Zalev, Jason, Cingman, Bryan
• Granted Patent: US 10,433,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4312 Breast evaluation or disorder diagnosis A61B5/0091 takes precedence

Abstract

An optoacoustic imaging system includes a hand-held imaging probe having a light emitting portion and an array of ultrasonic transducers. The probe includes an acoustic lens having an optically reflective material that operates to avoid image artifacts associated with light interactions with the acoustic lens. The optically reflective material may be a thin, highly optically reflective metallic layer. The acoustic lens may be formed from a material such as silicon rubber filled with titanium dioxide or barium sulfate that allows it to reflect and scatter light from illumination components with substantially no absorption of such light, and yet be optically opaque. The probe may include a housing that provides hypo-echoic encapsulation of the probe. An assembly of the array of ultrasonic transducers may include a hypo-echoic material. The probe may include optical windows, each comprising one or more anti-reflection-coated plates with acoustic impedance matching that of tissues to be imaged.

Claims

1. An optoacoustic imaging system, comprising:

a hand-held imaging probe comprising a light emitting portion and an array of ultrasonic transducers, the hand-held imaging probe further comprising an acoustic lens; and

,

a processing system configured to receive data originating from the hand-held imaging probe and to output an image;

wherein the acoustic lens comprises an optically reflective material that operates to avoid image artifacts associated with light interactions with the acoustic lens.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the optically reflective material comprises a metallic layer.

3. The system of claim 2, in which metallic layer comprises a thin, highly optically reflective metallic layer.

4. The system of claim 3, in which the thin, highly optically reflective metallic layer comprises aluminum, gold, or silver.

5. The system of claim 1, in which the acoustic lens is formed from a white opaque material.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the acoustic lens is formed from a material that allows it to reflect and scatter light from illumination components with substantially no absorption of such light, and yet be optically opaque.

7. The system of claim 6, in which the acoustic lens is formed from silicon rubber.

8. The system of claim 7, in which the silicon rubber is filled with titanium dioxide.

9. The system of claim 7, in which the silicon rubber is filled with barium sulfate powder.

10. The system of claim 1, in which the handheld imaging probe further comprises a housing that provides hypo-echoic encapsulation of the probe.

11. The system of claim 10, in which internal or external parts of the housing comprise materials that do not absorb near-infrared laser light.

12. The system of claim 11, in which internal or external parts of the housing comprise materials having low thermal expansion properties such that the housing does not emit substantial ultrasound after absorption of laser light.

13. The system of claim 1, in which an assembly of the array of ultrasonic transducers comprises hypo-echoic material.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a layer of hypo-echoic material between an assembly of the array of ultrasonic transducers and a fiberoptic assembly to avoid generation of ultrasound upon interaction of light with assembly of the array of ultrasonic transducers.

15. The system of claim 1, in which the light emitting portion and the array of ultrasonic transducers in the hand-held imaging probe are arranged in a generally flat linear shape.

16. The system of claim 1, in which the light emitting portion and the array of ultrasonic transducers in the hand-held imaging probe are arranged in a curved concave arc shape.

17. The system of claim 1, in which the hand-held imaging probe is configured to produce at least two optical beams, one on each side of the array of ultrasonic transducers, so as to deliver optical energy to a skin surface at such angle and such distance between them that the optical beams merge into one beam within a distance of skin thickness under the array of ultrasonic transducers.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more dual-wavelength short-pulse lasers.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of single-wavelength short pulse lasers.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fiberoptic light delivery system.

21. The system of claim 1, in which the hand-held imaging probe comprises a plurality of optical windows, each comprising one or more anti-reflection-coated plates with acoustic impedance matching that of tissues to be imaged.

22. The system of claim 21, in which the anti-reflection-coated windows comprise glass, polymer or other solid optically transparent material.