医学成像在皮肤病学的病理生理相关性的临床诊断和评估中起着不可或缺的作用。然而, 现有的成像技术很难获得色素性皮肤病的黑色素空间分布和色素浓度。本文中我们提出了一种线性共焦扫描光声显微镜, 用于快速无损地获取色素性皮肤病的病理结构变化和色素异常部位的黑色素分布情况。通过样品试验和动物试验证明了该显微成像系统的可行性及成像能力, 并进一步对咖啡斑患者的正常表皮和病变表皮进行高分辨成像, 图像结果表明, 正常皮肤和咖啡斑皮肤之间黑色素分布及浓度存在着明显的差异。通过使用快速线性共焦扫描模式, 可以在1 s内快速获得检测部位的光声断层图像。线性共焦扫描光声显微镜也可以扩展到诊断其他皮肤性疾病, 是一种具有前景的皮肤病学成像技术。

Medical imaging plays an indispensable role in clinical diagnosis and assessment of pathophysiological correlations in dermatology. However, the existing imaging techniques are limited to properly acquire the concentration and spatial distribution of skin melanin for chromatodermatosis. In this work, a linear confocal scanning photoacoustic microscopy was developed for label-free visualizing the pathologic structures of pigmented lesion and quantitatively evaluating melanin content of pigmented abnormality. The system was utilized for non-invasive and high-resolution imaging of epidermal conditions in Cafe-au-lait macules patients. Image results demonstrated that there was a significant difference between normal and Cafe-au-lait macules skin. By implementing a linear confocal scanning mode, an individual’s photoacoustic pathological section can be quickly obtained with clinical score in 1 s. The photoacoustic microscopy might as well extend to diagnose other dermatological conditions, which opens a perspective in dermatological imaging technology.