An adaptive mesh-based framework for real-time light fluence correction in photoacoustic tomography

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT), which combines excellent optical contrast with high acoustic resolution, has emerged as a promising medical imaging technique. However, achieving rapid, real-time light fluence correction for quantitative PAT imaging remains challenging. To address this, this study introduces an adaptive mesh-based method for the finite element calculation of light fluence to significantly accelerate the correction process for quantitative PAT. Evaluation on a commercial PAT system shows that while achieving comparable imaging quality, the adaptive mesh-based method requires only 1/85 of the mesh points used in a uniform mesh and reduces computation time by more than 20-fold. Our approach effectively enhances the efficiency of light fluence correction, providing strong support for advancing the practical application of photoacoustic imaging technology.