Photoacoustic depth-resolved analysis of tissue models

Pulsed photoacoustic laser spectroscopy was used for depth-resolved analysis of artificial tissue models. The technique was applied to investigate the spatial resolution capabilities of a fiber-opticalcoupled photoacoustic sensor head. The time-resolved measurements confirmed the theoretical predictions of a depth resolution of 0.1 mm. In an adapted skin model, a strongly absorbing target could be detected up to a layer depth of 14 mm. At a layer depth of 5 mm, a lateral resolution of 3.5 mm was achieved. Because of the depth-resolving capability, this method is well suited as a complementary approach for two-dimensional imaging techniques.