Contrast-enhanced Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography for Functional Assessment of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

Abstract Real-time imaging and functional assessment of the intestinal tract and its transit poses a significant challenge to traditional clinical diagnostic methods. Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT), a molecular-sensitive imaging technology, offers the potential to visualize endogenous and exogenous chromophores in tissue. Herein we present a novel approach using the orally administered clinical-approved fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG) for bed-side, non-ionizing evaluation of gastrointestinal passage. We were able to show the detectability and stability of ICG in phantom experiments. Furthermore, ten healthy subjects underwent MSOT imaging at multiple timepoints over eight hours after ingestion of a standardized meal with and without ICG. ICG signals could be visualized and quantified in different intestinal segments, while its excretion was confirmed by fluorescent imaging of stool samples. These findings indicate that contrast-enhanced MSOT (CE-MSOT) provides a translatable real-time imaging approach for functional assessment of the gastrointestinal tract.