RF heating-enhanced photoacoustic tomography

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) and thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) both leverage acoustic signals generated by electromagnetic absorption to noninvasively image deep tissues. PAT operates by detecting optical absorption, whereas TAT targets radiofrequency (RF) absorption, providing complementary information on tissue composition and structure. Combining these modalities into a single system promises richer contrast but remains difficult due to the expense and complexity of the RF source. Here, we show that PAT can be integrated with a low-cost RF heater and used to image both optical and RF absorption in tissue phantoms. RF Heating-Enhanced Photoacoustic Tomography (HEPAT) maps RF absorption via temperature-dependent changes in thermomechanical properties, which enables the use of slow, inexpensive RF subsystems and provides an additional layer of contrast. HEPAT therefore provides distinct, complementary contrast relative to existing photoacoustic imaging systems, expanding specificity and diagnostic power while opening new avenues for studying temperature-related tissue phenomena.