Real-time handheld multispectral optoacoustic imaging

Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) of functional and molecular contrast has the potential to find broad deployment in clinical practice. We have developed the first handheld MSOT imaging device with fast wavelength tuning achieving a frame rate of 50 Hz. In this Letter, we demonstrate its clinical potential by dynamically resolving multiple disease-relevant tissue chromophores, including oxy-/deoxyhemoglobin, and melanin, in human volunteers. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America