Photoacoustic Imaging

The photoacoustic effect, discovered by Alexander Graham Bell in the late 19th century, refers to the generation of sound waves due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a material, resulting in a localized response that produces pressure waves due to thermoelastic expansion caused by the rapid increase in temperature at that point. In recent years, photoacoustics has been explored as a non-invasive biomedical imaging technique, using non-ionizing radiation and endogenous contrast agents such as melanin and hemoglobin, allowing for imaging at considerable depths and functional information of the organism, such as oxygen saturation. Despite being a relatively new modality, photoacoustics has gained prominence in the last decade, evidenced by a significant increase in publications in the field, establishing itself as an important modality for both current and future imaging.