All-optical noncontact phase-domain photoacoustic elastography

Mechanical properties such as elasticity are important indicators of tissue functions that can be used for clinical diagnosis and disease monitoring. However, most current elastography techniques are limited in their ability to distinguish localized microstructural mechanical variations due to employing elastic wave velocity measurement. In addition, their contact-based measurement manner is not favored and may even be prohibited in many applications. In this Letter, we propose all-optical noncontact phase-domain photoacoustic elastography (NPD-PAE), leveraging the temporal response characteristics of laser-induced thermoelastic displacement using optical interferometric detection to calculate the elastic modulus. The all-optical pump-probe method allows the capture of the initial displacement profiles generated at the origin, thus enabling the extraction of in situ elasticity. The feasibility of the method was verified using a tissue-mimicking phantom. The capability to map the mechanical contrast was demonstrated on an ex vivo biological tissue. NPD-PAE opens a new avenue for development of a noncontact elastography technique, holding great potential in the biomedical field and materials science.