Photoacoustic Microscopy
Biomedical imaging allows us to explore the complex biology of living organisms and better understand the clinical progression of diseases through the visualization of dynamic, functional, and molecular events. Among the mod-ern biomedical imaging technologies, photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) provides unique optical absorption contrast and high-spatial resolution at depths beyond the penetration limit of traditional optical microscopy. Over the last decades, PAM has become an increasingly popular anatomical, functional, and molecular information. In this book, we introduce the basic principles and typical system designs of PAM, including optical-resolution PAM and acoustic-resolution PAM. We also discuss the common characteristics of PAM, including spatial resolutions, penetration depth, PA signal detectors, and the scanning approach. Finally, we present the major biomedical applications of PAM, including functional measurement, anatomical imaging from cellular to organismal level, label-free functional imaging using endogenous biomolecules, molecular imaging using exogenous contrast agents, and preclinical and clinical applications.
