Near-field radio-frequency thermo-acoustic imaging based on transmission lines for optimized performance.

Near-field Radio-frequency Thermoacoustic Imaging (NRTI) is an imaging modality that was recently introduced to generate thermoacoustic signals using ultra-short high energy impulses. Because it allows for a higher energy coupling within an ultra-short time, it can achieve higher resolutions and higher signal to noise ratio, compared to traditional thermoacoustic tomography based on radiating sources at single frequencies. As for traditional thermoacoustic imaging the contrast comes from the conductivity and the dielectric properties of the tissues, while the resolution depends on the measured acoustic waves. Since NRTI depends on the efficient generation of high energy short impulses, the ability to control their time width and pulse shape is of high importance. We present here a methodology for generating such impulses based on transmission lines. The ability of such generators to generate impulses in the range of tens of nanoseconds enables high resolution images in the range of tens of microns to hundreds of microns without compromising the amount of the energy coupled. Finally the pulser is used to generate high resolution images of small absorbing insertions, of phantoms with different conductivities and of ex-vivo mouse images. From the phantoms it is possible to see both the capabilities of the system to accurately image small insertions as well as the high quality images generated from imaging phantoms, from ex-vivo mouse images it is possible to see several anatomical characteristics, such as the mouse boundary, the spine and some other characteristics in the mouse abdomens