Abstract
In the litereature, flow estimation algorithms for optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM) only provide single-axis flow velocity estimation – either lateral or axial velocity estimation. In this study, according to the charcteristics of ORPAM photoacoustic flow signals, we propose a novel photoacoustic flow estimation algorithm using the butterfly search technique which allows the simultaneous estimation of both axial flow velocity and lateral flow rate. Here, the feasibility of the proposed method is verified via the M-mode simulation based on OR-PAM photoacoustic signal model, and the performance of the proposed method is compared with that of the conventional axial and lateral velocity estimators. The influence of the ORPAM system parameters such as the number of laser pulses and types of the ultrasound transducers on the performance of the proposed method is also discussed. In addition, the insusceptibility of the proposed method to the noise is also demonstrated.