Photoacoustic (PA) imaging has the potential to deliver non-invasive diagnostic information. However, skin tone differences bias PA target visualization, as the elevated optical absorption of melanated skin decreases optical fluence within the imaging plane and increases the presence of acoustic clutter. This paper demonstrates that short-lag spatial coherence (SLSC) beamforming mitigates this bias. PA data from the forearm of 18 volunteers were acquired with 750-, 810-, and 870-nm wavelengths. Skin tones ranging from light to dark were objectively quantified using the individual typology angle (ITA). The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the radial artery (RA) and surrounding clutter were measured. Clutter was minimal (e.g., −16 dB relative to the RA) with lighter skin tones and increased to −8 dB with darker tones, which compromised RA visualization in conventional PA images. SLSC beamforming achieved a median SNR improvement of 3.8 dB, resulting in better RA visualization for all skin tones.

中文翻译：

---

通过短滞后空间相干波束形成减轻线性阵列体内光声成像中的肤色偏差

光声 (PA) 成像具有提供非侵入性诊断信息的潜力。然而，肤色差异会影响 PA 目标可视化，因为黑色皮肤的光吸收增加会降低成像平面内的光通量并增加声杂波的存在。本文证明短滞后空间相干 (SLSC) 波束成形可以减轻这种偏差。使用 750、810 和 870 nm 波长采集 18 名志愿者前臂的 PA 数据。使用个体类型学角度（ITA）对从浅到深的肤色进行客观量化。测量桡动脉（RA）和周围杂波的信噪比（SNR）。肤色较浅时，杂波最小（例如，相对于 RA 为 -16 dB），而肤色较深时，杂波增加到 -8 dB，这会影响传统 PA 图像中 RA 的可视化。 SLSC 波束成形的中值 SNR 提高了 3.8 dB，从而为所有肤色提供了更好的 RA 可视化效果。