Photoacoustic (PA) microscopy is being increasingly used to visualize the microcirculation of the brain cortex at the micron level in living rodents. By combining it with long-term cranial window techniques, vasculature can be monitored over a period of days extending to months through a field of view. To fulfill the requirements of long-term in vivo PA imaging, the cranial window must involve a simple and rapid surgical procedure, biological compatibility, and sufficient optical-acoustic transparency, which are major challenges. Recently, several cranial window techniques have been reported for longitudinal PA imaging. Here, the development of chronic cranial windows for PA imaging is reviewed and its technical details are discussed, including window installation, imaging quality, and longitudinal stability.

中文翻译：

---

慢性颅窗光声成像：迷你审查。

光声（PA）显微镜正越来越多地用于以微米级水平显示活啮齿动物中大脑皮层的微循环。通过将其与长期颅窗技术相结合，可以在几天内（从视场扩展到几个月）监控脉管系统。为了满足长期体内PA成像的要求，颅窗必须包括简单快速的手术程序，生物相容性和足够的光学声透明性，这是主要的挑战。近来，已经报道了几种用于纵向PA成像的颅窗技术。在这里，回顾了用于PA成像的慢性颅窗的发展，并讨论了其技术细节，包括窗的安装，成像质量和纵向稳定性。