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Photoacoustic imaging in biomedicine
Article By:
Diebold, Gerald J. Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
Last reviewed:2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB140424
The photoacoustic effect, or, as it is frequently called, the optoacoustic effect, refers to the production of sound by the absorption of light. The mechanism of sound generation is based on the principle that virtually all materials, whether in the gas, liquid, or solid phase, expand when heated. The expansion initiated by the absorption of light is a mechanical motion that exerts a force on the surrounding medium, with the result that a sound wave that can be detected with high sensitivity is launched. There are numerous applications of the photoacoustic effect; however, in this article, the application of this effect to imaging human and animal tissue and, in particular, applications in biomedicine, such as the detection of cancers, will be discussed.
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