Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging of Peripheral Arteries: A Feasibility Study

Photoacoustic imaging of the arteries can provide valuable functional information to diagnose and classify atherosclerotic plaques. When combined with ultrasound for anatomical information, photoacoustic imaging holds promise for routine monitoring and for treatment decisions. However, utilizing conventional ultrasound systems for combined photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging has not been successful for this application. In this study, we imaged two major arteries susceptible to atherosclerosis—the carotid artery and the femoral artery—using a linear array-based system. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the carotid artery at depths of up to 10 mm and the femoral arteries at up to 20 mm. The average success rates for imaging the carotid, common femoral and superficial femoral arteries in healthy volunteers were 75%, 100% and 33.3%, respectively, demonstrating potential for future studies.