Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Toward Characterization Of Diseased Vascular Structures Using Noncontact Photoacoustic And Laser-Ultrasound Imaging: A Phantom Study, Jami Lynne Johnson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Visualizing and characterizing atherosclerotic plaques is important in determining the vulnerability of a plaque to rupture. To evaluate rupture risk, several compositional factors should be evaluated, including inflammation, the presence and size of lipid pools, thickness of the fibrous cap, and calcification. Currently, a need exists for an imaging modality that can detect each of these factors in a safe, noninvasive manner with high resolution and contrast at clinically relevant depths. Photoacoustic imaging is a growing field that has the potential to improve plaque diagnosis. Spectroscopic methods have shown promise toward detection of constituents of plaque with unique optical absorption …