Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42598189›Full record

ArticlePhotoacoustics2026

Stochastic numerical head phantoms to enable virtual imaging studies of transcranial photoacoustic computed tomography.

Hsuan-Kai Huang, Joseph Kuo, Seonyeong Park, Umberto Villa, Lihong V Wang, Mark A Anastasio

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Photoacoustics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hsuan-Kai HuangDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States.
Joseph KuoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States.
Seonyeong ParkDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States.
Umberto VillaOden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, United States.
Lihong V WangAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125, CA, United States.
Mark A AnastasioMallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, 63110, MO, United States.

Funding

The Center for Label-free Imagingand Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB)P41EB031772 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · PI Stephen A Boppart · 2022 to 2026
$7.6M
Massively parallel high-speed 3D functional photoacoustic computed tomography of the adult human brainU01EB029823 · NIBIB · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI WANG, DANNY JJ, WANG, LIHONG · 2020 to 2024
$6.7M
Deepening optical imaging with next-generation photoacoustic computed tomographyUG3DA065155 · NIDA · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI WANG, LIHONG · 2025 to 2025
$3.2M
Advancing Photoacoustic Tomography in breast imaging to predict response in breast cancers treated with neoadjuvant therapyR01CA282505 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI Lily Lau Lai · 2023 to 2026
$2.6M
A Computational Framework Enabling Virtual Imaging Trials of 3D Quantitative Optoacoustic Tomography Breast ImagingR01EB031585 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · PI ANASTASIO, MARK A · 2022 to 2025
$2.3M
Advancing three-dimensional preclinical dynamic contrast-enhanced photoacoustic computed tomography via quantitative image reconstructionR01EB034261 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · PI Umberto Villa · 2024 to 2026
$1.8M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA282505NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB031772NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB031585NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB034261NIBIB NIH HHS U01 EB029823NIDA NIH HHS UG3 DA065155
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) is an emerging neuroimaging modality, but skull-induced aberrations can result in severe image artifacts if not compensated for during image reconstruction. The development of advanced image reconstruction methods for transcranial PACT is hindered by the lack of well-characterized, clinically relevant evaluation frameworks. Virtual imaging studies offer a solution, but require realistic numerical phantoms. To address this need, this study introduces a framework for generating ensembles of realistic 3D numerical head phantoms for virtual imaging studies. The framework uses adjunct CT data to create anatomical phantoms, which are then enhanced with stochastically synthesized vasculature and assigned realistic optical and acoustic-elastic properties. The utility of the framework is demonstrated through a case study on the impact of skull modeling errors on transcranial PACT image quality. By allowing researchers to assess and refine reconstruction methods meaningfully, the presented framework is expected to accelerate the development of transcranial PACT.

Indexed as

Numerical phantomsPhotoacoustic computed tomographyTranscranial imagingVirtual imaging studies

Identifiers

PMID42598189
PMCPMC13470551

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.