New photoacoustic microscopy technique achieves depth of field nearly 14 times greater than previous technology

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-photoacoustic-microscopy-technique-depth-field.html

"NB-PAM 3D imagery without refocusing and better image samples with uneven surfaces... improves depth of field using a beam of laser light that is longer thinner and needle shaped...  reshape the beam of light that is used for imaging, so that it no longer focuses to a sharp point along the propagation axis but is instead drawn out into a long thin neck. Consequently, it is able to clearly image objects over a greater range of depths... studying tissue samples during surgery"

Related:

Speckle-illumination proves useful in photoacoustic microscopy

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-speckle-illumination-photoacoustic-microscopy.html

Contrast-enhancing agents to overcome physical and practical challenges of photoacoustic imaging

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-contrast-enhancing-agents-physical-photoacoustic-imaging.html