Increased light penetration due to ultrasound-induced air bubbles in optical scattering media.

ABSTRACT: Light is an attractive tool for high spatial- and contrast-resolution imaging, highly sensitive molecular imaging, and target-selective therapy, and it does not exhibit the risks associated with ionizing radiation. The main limitation of using light in clinical applications is its superficial imaging and therapeutic depth caused by high optical scattering in biological media. Here, we demonstrate that the scattering and thus defocusing of the incident light can be alleviated when simultaneously delivered ultrasound generates air bubbles in the pathway of the incident light, thus increasing the light penetration. The bubbles are temporally induced by ultrasound with an intensity that is sufficiently low to avoid tissue damage and act as a Mie scattering medium in which light is scattered pr

SUBMITTER: Kim H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5701037 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature