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Tonsillectomy, one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide, is often associated with postoperative complications, particularly bleeding. Tonsil laser ablation has been proposed as a safer alternative; however, its adoption has been limited because it can be difficult for a surgeon to visually control the thermal interactions that occur between the laser and the tissue. In this study, we propose to monitor the ablation caused by a CO2 laser on ex-vivo tonsil tissue using photoacoustic imaging. Soft tissue’s unique photoacoustic spectra were used to distinguish between ablated and non-ablated tissue. Our results suggest that photoacoustic imaging is able to visualize necrosis formation and calculate the necrotic extent, offering the potential for improved tonsil laser ablation outcomes. 

A sensitive, noninvasive method to detect localized prostate cancer, particularly for early detection and repetitive study in patients undergoing active surveillance, remains an unmet need. Here, we propose a molecular photoacoustic (PA) imaging approach by targeting the prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is over‐expressed in the vast majority of prostate cancers. We performed spectroscopic PA imaging in an experimental model of prostate cancer, namely, in immunocompromised mice bearing PSMA+ (PC3 PIP) and PSMA− (PC3 flu) tumors through administration of the known PSMA‐targeted fluorescence agent, YC‐27. Differences in contrast between PSMA+ and isogenic control tumors were observed upon PA imaging, with PSMA+ tumors showing higher contrast in average of 66.07‐fold with 5 mice at the 24‐hour postinjection time points. These results were corroborated using standard near‐infrared fluorescence imaging with YC‐27, and the squared correlation between PA and fluorescence intensities was 0.89. Spectroscopic PA imaging is a new molecular imaging modality with sufficient sensitivity for targeting PSMAin vivo, demonstrating the potential applications for other saturable targets relevant to cancer and other disorders.