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Birmingham researchers map the best sensors for seeing deeper inside the body with light and sound

A review of 82 ultrasound detectors has created a practical guide for improving photoacoustic imaging of blood vessels, tumours and tissue deep inside the body.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

Clinician using ultrasound imaging equipment Image: University of BirminghamOriginal source

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in Birmingham and London have produced the most comprehensive comparison yet of the ultrasound detectors used in a medical-imaging technique that combines light and sound.

Photoacoustic tomography sends short pulses of laser light into tissue. Absorbed light creates tiny ultrasound waves that can be turned into images of blood vessels, tumours and tissue function.

The team analysed published data from 82 detectors and mapped which technologies are best suited to different jobs. Large ceramic sensors currently perform best for deep imaging, while extremely small optical sensors show promise for high-resolution work.

The result is less a new scanner than a better instruction manual for everyone trying to build one. Standardising how the sensors are compared should help researchers spend less time arguing over measurement methods and more time improving what clinicians can see.