Development and Fabrication of a 3-French Photoacoustic Catheter for Imaging Mouse Colon

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, if skin cancer is not considered. Despite the high incidence and high mortality rate, most of the outcomes could be prevented by using accurate techniques for early cancer detection to enable early treatment. In this context, it is important to conduct preclinical studies, using animal models of colon diseases, to test new diagnostic approaches including imaging instrumentation. We have previously used a 3-French ultrasound IVUS catheter to image the layered structure in the mouse colon, detect polyps, and visualize their invasion through the colon wall. Now we aim to add photoacoustic (PA) imaging with a miniaturized probe designed for combined micro-ultrasound (micro-US) and (PA) imaging of the mouse colon. For this purpose, a mini US probe was manufactured to fit a previous system used before.