Principles and applications of photoacoustic computed tomography

Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) is an emerging imaging modality with many biological and medical applications. It is a hybrid imaging modality that combines optical contrast with ultrasound detection to give high-resolution images related to the optical properties of tissues. PACT imaging systems are being actively developed and translated to address important preclinical and clinical imaging applications that include cancer imaging and functional brain imaging. In this chapter, the basic principles of image formation in PACT are reviewed. The authors also survey the current state-of-the-art biomedical applications of PACT.