ABSTRACT
Optoacoustic tomography (OAT) has the potential to visualize early stage aggressive abnormal growth in the breast and provide the physician with functional information, in addition to the morphological information available from the conventional modalities of x-ray mammography and ultrasound. A number of technological inventions made it possible for OA imaging to compete with current breast cancer imaging modalities in terms of sensitivity, image contrast, resolution, acquisition time, and diagnostic capabilities. Studies involving computer simulations, visualization of objects in phantom and clinical examples demonstrate the high contrast and resolution of laser optoacoustic imaging system (LOIS) images, as well as the potential capability to detect small tumors through the entire breast. The sensitivity of breast cancer detection with LOIS can be further enhanced by using cancer-specific delivery of optical contrast agents. A distinctive feature of OAT technology is the capability of generating images in real time with superior spatial resolution.
