Volumetric photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging using 2D matrix array transducer scanner

Recently, various photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound (US) technologies have been developed as the medical imaging field has been actively studied. These include a series of attempts to move from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) imaging. There are roughly two main streams to obtain a 3D image, one is using a 1D matrix array transducer and the other is using a 2D matrix array transducer. The former uses a motorized scanner to make the transducer move in the direction that forms a 3D image (elevation direction), which leads to the uncomfortable fact that it must take a certain amount of time to obtain a single 3D image. Further, its bulk design with the scanner makes it difficult to guarantee portability, and since beamforming cannot be performed in the elevation direction, 3D images from the scanner have an anisotropic resolution. In contrast, the latter, without the scanner, acquires 3D volumetric data and generates a 3D image at only one time, which enables real-time imaging. The compact design makes it easy to connect to and use the system, and the fact that beamforming is possible in all directions assures isotropic resolution. In this study, we demonstrated the above-mentioned content using a 2D matrix transducer having more advantages than conventional methods in 3D imaging. Further, we develop a motorized scanner to increase Field of View(FOV).