High-resolution burn imaging in pig skin by photoacoustic microscopy

Abstract

Existing noninvasive imaging modalities fail to provide high-resolution depth-resolved imaging of skin burns in large depths. Hence, the measurement of burn depth, especially for partial-thickness burn, remains inaccurate. We used photoacoustic microscopy to measure the depth of acute thermal burns by imaging the microvasculature damage. In this work, partial-thickness burns were induced in vivo on pig skin. Limited by the flexibility of the photoacoustic scanning system, photoacoustic images of the burns were acquired after skin excision. Experimental results show that burn depth increases with longer heating duration. The maximum imaged burn depth measures ∼1.7 mm with a depth resolution of 15 µm.