Optoacoustic Tomography: New Modality of Laser Diagnostic Systems

The current status of optoacoustic tomography for medical applications is reviewed. For 1D optoa- coustic tomography, forward and backward modes of optoacoustic signal detection are discussed. To enhance lateral resolution of 1D tomography, a confocal optoacoustic transducer was developed and explored. The spa- tial resolution of 1D optoacoustic tomography is discussed. The applications of 1D optoacoustic tomography for the investigation of biological tissue are presented. A real-time 2D laser optoacoustic imaging system is described. The spatial resolution of 2D optoacoustic tomography is discussed. Some medical applications of 2D optoacoustic tomography are reviewed.