Absolute photoacoustic thermometry in deep tissue

Photoacoustic thermography is a promising tool for temperature measurement in deep tissue. Here we propose an absolute temperature measurement method based on the dual temperature dependences of the Gruneisen parameter and the speed of sound in tissue. By taking ratiometric measurements at two adjacent temperatures, we can eliminate the factors that are temperature irrelevant but difficult to correct for in deep tissue. To validate our method, absolute temperatures of blood-filled tubes embedded similar to 9 mm deep in chicken tissue were measured in a biologically relevant range from 28 degrees C to 46 degrees C. The temperature measurement accuracy was similar to 0.6 degrees C. The results suggest that our method can be potentially used for absolute temperature monitoring in deep tissue during thermotherapy. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America