System and method for quality-enhanced high-rate optoacoustic imaging of an object

• US 9,551,789 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für. Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für. Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
• Inventors: Morscher, Stefan, Ntziachristos, Vasilis, Deliolanis, Nikolaos
• Primary Examiner(s): Murphy, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US14/141,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20140198606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 367/7, 367/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7292 Prospective gating, i.e. predicting the occurrence of a physiological event for use as a synchronisation signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/1702 with opto-acoustic detection, e.g. for gases or analysing solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

The disclosure relates to systems and methods for optoacoustic imaging of an object comprising, in some embodiments, an image acquisition unit for acquiring a first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images, the image acquisition unit comprising an illumination device and a detection device configured for repeatedly collecting acoustic waves emerging from the object and for generating the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

In some embodiments, a processing unit is provided for generating a second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images and/or at least one property of the object while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images and/or at least one property of the acquisition unit while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

Claims

1. A system configured for optoacoustic imaging of an object, the system comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured for acquiring a first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images of a region of interest of the object, the image acquisition unit comprising;

an illumination device configured for irradiating the region of interest of the object with electromagnetic radiation, and

a detection device configured for repeatedly collecting acoustic waves emerging from the object upon irradiating the object and configured for generating the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images of the region of interest from the repeatedly collected acoustic waves; and

a processing unit that generates a second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on at least one of the following;

an analysis of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images with respect to individual properties of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images, and

an analysis of properties of the repeatedly collected acoustic waves prior to generating the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images from the repeatedly collected acoustic waves.

2. The system according claim 1, wherein the processing unit generates the second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images further based on at least one property of the object while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images, and wherein the at least one property of the object relates to temporal changes at or within the object while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit generates the second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images further based on at least one property of the object while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images, and wherein the at least one property of the object is acquired by an external device configured for observing temporal changes at or within the object.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit generates the second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images further based on at least one property of the object while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images, and wherein the at least one property of the object is derived from one or more tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of a subsequence of tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images regarding properties of the tomographic optoacoustic images with respect to each other.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images using a feature tracking algorithm by which a temporal behavior of one or more individual contributions to tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence is analyzed.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of statistical properties of tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

9. The system according claim 8, wherein the analysis of statistical properties comprises a separation of the tomographic optoacoustic images of the sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images into contributing components.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for processing the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on an analysis of statistical properties of tomographic optoacoustic images of the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to be controlled by control signals from at least one of the following:

the processing unit and

an external device, which is configured for observing a time-variant process in the object;

wherein the acquisition unit is configured for acquisition of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images at less motion-perturbed instants.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit is configured to utilize photon absorption information from previous tomographic optoacoustic images of the same object to change amplification of signals corresponding to acoustic waves originating from deeper inside of the object in order to correct for reduced light fluence in deep tissue.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images by selecting and discarding individual tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on the analysis of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating a replacing tomographic optoacoustic image which is inserted into the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images in the case that a tomographic optoacoustic image of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images has been discarded, wherein the replacing tomographic optoacoustic image is generated based on at least one of two or more preceding and following images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images being adjacent to the discarded tomographic optoacoustic image.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured for generating the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images by moving averaging of tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images, wherein each time at least two subsequent tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images are averaged.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one property of the acquisition unit relates to an intensity of the electromagnetic radiation with which the object is irradiated while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the illumination device is configured for irradiating the object with electromagnetic radiation at multiple wavelengths and the processing unit is configured for analyzing at least one of the following:

the first sequence and the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images at the multiple wavelengths.

18. The system according to claim 1, comprising:

a display unit configured for displaying a video stream of at least one of the following;

the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images and the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

19. The system according to claim 1, comprising:

a storage unit configured for storing at least one of the following;

the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images and the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

20. The system according claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit comprises a handheld device.

22. The system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images comprises an analysis of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images with respect to at least one of the following individual properties of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images:

signal-to-noise ratio, contrast, blur, sharpness and histogram.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of properties of the repeatedly collected acoustic waves comprises an analysis of at least one of the following properties of the acoustic waves:

signal-to-noise ratio, frequency spectrum and noise pattern.

24. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit generates the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images by further considering at least one property of the acquisition unit while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the at least one property of the acquisition unit relates to a pulse-to-pulse variation of the power of electromagnetic radiation pulses with which the object is irradiated while acquiring the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the generation of the second sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images by considering the pulse-to-pulse variation of the power of electromagnetic radiation pulses comprises an amplification of the collected acoustic waves emerging from the object upon irradiating of the object with low power pulses.

21. A method for optoacoustic imaging of an object by acquiring a first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images of a region of interest of the object, the method comprising:

irradiating the region of interest of the object with electromagnetic radiation;

repeatedly collecting acoustic waves emerging from the object upon irradiating the object and generating the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images of the region of interest from the repeatedly collected acoustic waves; and

generating a second sequence of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images from the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images based on at least one of the following;

an analysis of one or more tomographic optoacoustic images of the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images with respect to individual properties of the one or more tomographic optoacoustic images, and

an analysis of properties of the repeatedly collected acoustic waves prior to generating the first sequence of tomographic optoacoustic images from the repeatedly collected acoustic waves.