A mammography device is disclosed. The mammography device includes a container configured to surround the breast and a plurality of optical fibers attached to be directed inward in the container and configured to perform radiation and detection of light. The container has a base member having an opening, a plurality of annular members continuously disposed to come in communication with the opening, and a bottom member disposed inside the annular member spaced the farthest distance from the base member. The annular members and the bottom member are configured to relatively displace the adjacent annular member on the side of the base member or the base member in a communication direction. Some of the plurality of optical fibers is attached to the plurality of annular members.

Provided herein are the systems, methods, components for a three-dimensional tomography system. The system is a dual-modality imaging system that incorporates a laser ultrasonic system and a laser optoacoustic system. The dual-modality imaging system generates tomographic images of a volume of interest in a subject body based on speed of sound, ultrasound attenuation and/or ultrasound backscattering and for generating optoacoustic tomographic images of distribution of the optical absorption coefficient in the subject body based on absorbed optical energy density or various quantitative parameters derivable therefrom. Also provided is a method for increasing contrast, resolution and accuracy of quantitative information obtained within a subject utilizing the dual-modality imaging system. The method comprises producing an image of an outline boundary of a volume of interest and generating spatially or temporally coregistered images based on speed of sound and/or ultrasonic attenuation and on absorbed optical energy within the outlined volume.

A photoacoustic apparatus includes a light irradiation unit, an acoustic wave receiving unit that receives an acoustic wave generated by irradiating the object with light emitted from the light irradiation unit and that outputs an electric signal, a control unit that controls the light irradiation unit, and a processing unit that processes the electric signal. The control unit controls the light irradiation unit so that a density of a distribution of emission positions in a plurality of times of light emission by the light irradiation unit is higher in an inner part of the distribution of the emission positions than in an outer part of the distribution. The acoustic wave receiving unit outputs a plurality of electric signals corresponding to the plurality of times of light emission by receiving acoustic waves generated by the plurality of times of light emission. The processing unit acquires image data on the basis of the plurality of electric signals.

An object information acquiring apparatus is used which has an irradiating unit irradiating an object with light with a first wavelength at a first irradiation frequency, an element receiving an acoustic wave generated by the object irradiated with the light to output an electric signal, a processing unit acquiring characteristic information on the object using the electric signal, a scanning unit changing position of the irradiating unit relative to the object, and a controlling unit controlling movement of the scanning unit. The controlling unit controls the scanning unit such that an amount of light to which an identical area of the object is exposed is larger than a smallest value of a maximum permissible exposure at the first irradiation frequency.

An apparatus and method for imaging a tissue. The method includes transmitting a first microwave frequency signal to and receiving a first total signal from the tissue at a first position. A second microwave frequency signal is transmitted to and a second total signal received from the tissue at a second position. The first total signal is calibrated with respect to the second total signal and an image is constructed from the calibrated signal.

An object information acquiring apparatus comprises an irradiating unit which irradiates light on an object; a holding member which includes a light-absorbing member whose optical characteristics with respect to irradiated light are known and which holds the object; a detector which detects acoustic waves generated by tissue in the object and the light-absorbing member due to light irradiation; and a computing unit which calculates optical characteristics of the tissue in the object and the light-absorbing member by using the detected acoustic waves and which corrects the optical characteristics of the tissue in the object by using the calculated optical characteristics of the light-absorbing member and the known optical characteristics.

A photoacoustic apparatus disclosed herein includes a plurality of receiving elements which receive photoacoustic waves caused by irradiation of light from a light source to a subject and outputs reception signals and a signal data acquisition unit which generates and stores reception signal data by reducing a data amount of reception signals output from the plurality of receiving elements when a region where the directional axes of the plurality of receiving elements are gathered at a point is not included in a region of interest.

A breast diffusion optical tomography (DOT) device includes a light source, a detector, a mechanical driver and a contour acquisitor without using optical fiber and reduce the system complexity. The light source includes M1 number of multi-wavelength near-infrared light emitters for a continuous-wave mode and M2 number of laser diodes of different wavelengths for a frequency-domain mode. The detector includes N1 number of silicon photomultipliers for detecting near-infrared light in the continuous-wave mode and N2 number of silicon photomultipliers for detecting near-infrared light in the frequency-domain mode. The mechanical driver adjusts a distance between the light source and the detector. The contour acquisitor obtains the geometry of a patient's breast for reconstruction. The DOT device uses amplitude and phase information obtained in the frequency-domain mode to estimate initial optical parameters of tissues and then apply for reconstruction in the continuous-wave mode.

A photoacoustic apparatus comprises a light source; an acoustic wave receiver receives an acoustic wave and converts into an electric signal; a first acquisition unit acquires a first absorption coefficient distribution inside the object using a first method; a second acquisition unit acquires a second absorption coefficient distribution inside the object using a second method; a third acquisition unit calculates the distribution of functional information on the interior of the object; and an image generation unit generates an image by masking the distribution of the functional information based on the second absorption coefficient distribution, wherein the second method is a method that can implement higher visibility than the first method when the absorption coefficient distribution is imaged.

a photoacoustic apparatus comprises a light source; a plurality of acoustic-wave receiving elements each configured to receive an acoustic wave generated from the object and convert into an electric signal; a supporting body configured to support the plurality of acoustic-wave receiving elements; a moving unit configured to move the supporting body; and an information acquiring unit configured to generate information in the object on the basis of the electric signal, wherein the photoacoustic apparatus performs measuring in first measurement positions and acquires a first electric signal, performs measuring in second measurement positions and acquires a second electric signal, and generates structural information and functional information in the object, and the first measurement positions and the second measurement positions are positions different from each other.