Quantification of biomarkers using multispectral optoacoustic tomography can be challenging due to photon fluence variations with depth and spatially heterogeneous tissue optical properties. Herein we introduce a spectral ratio approach that accounts for photon fluence variations. The performance and imaging improvement achieved with the proposed method is showcased both numerically and experimentally in phantoms and mice. [Read more…]
Fig. 3 (a) Optoacoustic image of a mouse with ICG filled tubes at 800 nm . (b) Sketch of the mouse and the implanted tubes. (c) Spectral difference. (d) Spectral ratio. (e) Profiles along the dashed lines of (b) for spectral ratio and spectral difference. (f) Superimposed image of (d) on (a) after application of a threshold at 𝐼=0.5 .