Quadruple ultrasound, photoacoustic, optical coherence, and fluorescence fusion imaging with a transparent ultrasound transducer

Ultrasound and optical imagers are used widely in a variety of biological and medical applications. In particular, multimodal implementations combining light and sound have been actively investigated to improve imaging quality. However, the integration of optical sensors with opaque ultrasound transducers suffers from low signal-to-noise ratios, high complexity, and bulky form factors, significantly limiting its applications. Here, we demonstrate a quadruple fusion imaging system using a spherically focused transparent ultrasound transducer that enables seamless integration of ultrasound imaging with photoacoustic imaging, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescence imaging. As a first application, we comprehensively monitored multiparametric responses to chemical and suture injuries in rats' eyes in vivo, such as corneal neovascularization, structural changes, cataracts, and inflammation. As a second application, we successfully performed multimodal imaging of tumors in vivo, visualizing melanomas without using labels and visualizing 4T1 mammary carcinomas using PEGylated gold nanorods. We strongly believe that the seamlessly integrated multimodal system can be used not only in ophthalmology and oncology but also in other healthcare applications with broad impact and interest.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates a quadruple fusion imaging system that seamlessly integrates ultrasound imaging with photoacoustic imaging, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescence imaging using a spherically focused transparent ultrasound transducer. The system was used to monitor responses to chemical and suture injuries in rats' eyes, as well as for multimodal imaging of tumors in vivo. It is believed that this integrated multimodal system can have broad applications in ophthalmology, oncology, and beyond.