Abstract
Photoacoustic imaging offers “x-ray vision” to see beyond tool tips and underneath tissue during surgical procedures, without requiring ionizing x-rays. Instead, optical fibers and acoustic receivers enable photoacoustic sensing of major structures – like blood vessels and nerves – that are otherwise hidden from view. Laser pulses illuminate regions of interest, causing an acoustic response that is detectable with ultrasound transducers. In this talk, I will highlight novel light delivery systems, new coherence-based beamforming theory, deep learning approaches, counterintuitive findings, and robotic integration methods introduced by the Photoacoustic & Ultrasonic Systems Engineering (PULSE) Lab to enable this exciting frontier known as photoacoustic-guided surgery.
