Beamforming Reduces Photoacoustic Image Bias
BALTIMORE, Oct. 17, 2023 — Photoacoustic (PA) imaging offers a noninvasive means to obtain molecular and functional information about a variety of medical conditions. However, the quality of PA images, which are acquired when light illuminates the skin, is affected by the skin’s melanin content. The higher the amount of epidermal melanin, the more light is absorbed by the skin, increasing the chances of noise and artifacts. To mitigate skin-tone bias in PA imaging, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and