Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has many interesting advantages, such as deep imaging depth, high image resolution, and high contrast to intrinsic and extrinsic chromophores, enabling morphological, functional, and molecular imaging of living subjects. Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is one form of the PAI inheriting its characteristics and is useful in both preclinical and clinical research. Over the years, PAM systems have been evolved in several forms and each form has its relative advantages and disadvantages. Thus, to maximize the benefits of PAM for a specific application, it is important to configure the PAM system optimally by targeting a specific application. In this review, we provide practical methods for implementing a PAM system to improve the resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and imaging speed. In addition, we review the preclinical and the clinical applications of PAM and discuss the current challenges and the scope for future developments.

光声成像（PAI）具有许多有趣的优点，例如深成像深度、高图像分辨率以及与内在和外在发色团的高对比度，使得能够对活体对象进行形态、功能和分子成像。光声显微镜 (PAM) 是 PAI 的一种形式，继承了其特性，可用于临床前和临床研究。多年来，PAM 系统已经演变成多种形式，每种形式都有其相对的优点和缺点。因此，为了最大限度地发挥 PAM 对特定应用程序的优势，针对特定应用程序优化 PAM 系统配置非常重要。在这篇综述中，我们提供了实现 PAM 系统的实用方法，以提高分辨率、信噪比 (SNR) 和成像速度。此外，我们回顾了 PAM 的临床前和临床应用，并讨论了当前的挑战和未来发展的范围。