In vivo imaging of microcirculation using integrated photoacoustic and optical coherence microscopy

Photoacoustic imaging and optical coherence tomography have complementary imaging contrasts. Photoacoustic imaging is sensitive to optical absorption, thus is able to generate detailed maps of deep microvasculature in vivo. Optical coherence tomography exploits the optical scattering contrast, and can provide real-time, micrometer-resolution imaging of tissue. We integrate an optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy and a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography into a single system. Our preliminary experiments showed that it could be a valuable imaging tool for microcirculation studies in vivo.