Fluorescence imaging is a noninvasive and dynamic real-time imaging technique; however, it exhibits poor spatial resolution in centimeter-deep tissues because biological tissues are highly scattering media for optical radiation. The recently developed ultrasound-controlled fluorescence (UCF) imaging is a novel imaging technique that can overcome this bottleneck. Previous studies suggest that the effective contrast agent and sensitive imaging system are the two pivotal factors for generating high-resolution UCF images ex vivo and/or in vivo. Here, this review highlights the recent advances (2015–2020) in the design and synthesis of contrast agents and the improvement of imaging systems to realize high-resolution UCF imaging of deep tissues. The imaging performances of various UCF systems, including the signal-to-noise ratio, imaging resolution, and imaging depth, are specifically discussed. In addition, the challenges and prospects are highlighted. With continuously increasing research interest in this field and emerging multidisciplinary applications, UCF imaging with higher spatial resolution and larger imaging depth may be developed shortly, which is expected to have a far-reaching impact on disease surveillance and/or therapy.

荧光成像是一种无创的动态实时成像技术；然而，它在厘米深的组织中表现出较差的空间分辨率，因为生物组织是光辐射的高度散射介质。最近开发的超声控制荧光 (UCF) 成像是一种可以克服这一瓶颈的新型成像技术。以前的研究表明，有效的造影剂和敏感的成像系统是在体外和/或体内生成高分辨率 UCF 图像的两个关键因素。在这里，这篇综述重点介绍了造影剂设计和合成的最新进展（2015-2020 年）以及成像系统的改进，以实现深层组织的高分辨率 UCF 成像。各种UCF系统的成像性能，包括信噪比、成像分辨率、和成像深度，具体讨论。此外，还强调了挑战和前景。随着对该领域研究兴趣的不断增加和新兴的多学科应用，具有更高空间分辨率和更大成像深度的UCF成像可能在短期内得到发展，预计将对疾病监测和/或治疗产生深远的影响。