Clinical Research Directory

Photoacoustic Tomography in Assessment of Lower Extremity Artery Disease

Lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) is characterized by low awareness rate and high missed diagnosis rate, leading to low treatment rate and high disabling mortality rate. However, none of the current examination methods can comprehensively and thoroughly evaluate the vascular structure and blood oxygen status of the lower extremity at the same time. Photoacoustic imaging can display millimeter-scale microvessels without the need for contrast agents. The investigators developed photoacoustic tomography (PACT) technology, which wass able to provide three-dimensional and high-resolution photoacoustic images of the target area.The investigators plan to recruit LEAD patients in different disease conditions and healthy volunteers to receive the PACT examination on the feet using this imaging system, and to evaluate the potential clinical role of the imaging system in LEAD, and its added value to current imaging methods.