A pilot study on the use of high‐frequency photoacoustic imaging for quantitative human skin vasculature analysis

The assessment of skin health often relies on detailed visualization of skin architecture and its underlying vascular structures. A non-invasive technique which allows vasculature imaging is photoacoustic imaging (PAI), a hybrid modality that combines advantages from both optical and ultrasound imaging. This pilot study explores the efficacy of a highfrequency, linear array-based photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging setup for skin vasculature analysis. A PAI setup was developed involving a high-frequency linear probe employing capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT) as detectors with a central frequency of 30 MHz (operating at 22 MHz) and a bandwidth of 60 %. One healthy volunteer was imaged at four different locations and the photoacoustic images were automatically segmented and quantified, providing quantitative parameters of the vascular network complexity. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential of such setup to effectively segment superficial vasculature. Future studies will aim to expand on these findings and incorporate a quantitative analysis comparing with pathological cases, as well as hardware and software improvements to enhance image quality, mitigate artifacts, and optimize the system's usability in clinical settings.