Real-time Intravascular Photoacoustics

The rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque is the most frequent cause of acute cardiovascular events and sudden cardiac deaths. The identification of the vulnerable plaque, which is believed to be related to the structure and composition of the plaque, can greatly benefit the management of the cardiovascular disease in clinics. Intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging can characterize the composition of the plaque based on the optical contrast between different tissue types, which can be easily applied by performing IVPA imaging at different wavelengths for different imaging targets. Combined IVPA/US imaging shows great potentials to image the vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, morphologically (co-registered IVUS image) and compositionally (especially lipid-rich plaque), and is becoming a powerful tool to guide the assessment and treatment of the atherosclerotic plaque lesions. The aim of this thesis is to develop a prototype of fast IVPA/US imaging system capable of performing in vivo experiments on swine model, accelerating the translation of IVPA/US imaging toward clinical application.

• View at Worldcat

Free Full Text ( Final Version , 3mb )