Photoacoustic imaging holds a unique position in medical imaging technology by interlinking optical and acoustic techniques. Photoacoustic methods have shown potential for real-time, noninvasive imaging of structural and functional properties of biological tissues and organs based on optical transmission and acoustic reception, but with limited penetration depth and specificity due to strong light scattering and absorption in tissues and overlapping absorption spectra of various endogenous absorbers. Incorporation of tailor-made microbubbles and nanodrops comprising light-absorbing molecules or nanoparticles shows the potential to overcome such detection limitations. Microbubbles may be driven into powerful radial oscillations, thereby amplifying the acoustic emission and focusing it to the bubble's resonant frequency. Nanodrops may be vaporized into microbubbles, further amplifying the thermoelastic response. This review surveys advancements of this emerging imaging technology over the past decade.

通过将光学和声学技术相互联系，光声成像在医学成像技术中占据独特的地位。光声方法已显示出基于光学传输和声学接收对生物组织和器官的结构和功能特性进行实时、无创成像的潜力，但由于组织中强烈的光散射和吸收以及重叠吸收光谱，其穿透深度和特异性有限各种内源性吸收剂。包含光吸收分子或纳米颗粒的定制微泡和纳米滴的结合显示出克服此类检测限制的潜力。微气泡可能会被驱动成强大的径向振荡，从而放大声发射并将其聚焦到气泡的共振频率。Nanodrops 可以蒸发成微泡，进一步放大热弹性响应。这篇综述调查了这种新兴成像技术在过去十年中的进步。