Figure 1

Imaging setup of real-time volumetric optoacoustic imaging of Langendorff-perfused heart. (A) The heart was attached to the output of the heating coil and perfused through the cannula. It was then suspended into the sample chamber from above. The perfusate filled the volume of the chamber, with input and output ports facilitating flow for sample superfusion. Short (10 ns duration) light pulses at 800 nm wavelength and 100 Hz pulse repetition frequency were delivered onto the heart from below while a spherical matrix ultrasound array was used to collect the generated optoacoustic responses. For each light pulse, a three-dimensional optoacoustic image was rendered, shown in (B), along with the maximum intensity projections (MIP) in x, y, and z dimensions. The Langendorff-perfused heart could be seen in its entirety, and the indicated features are the suture (s) and heart apex (a).