# Semantic segmentation of multispectral photoacoustic images using deep learning Source: [Semantic segmentation of multispectral photoacoustic images using deep learning]() Collection index: [llms.txt]() Data updated: 2025-10-25T03:19:01.596Z Authors: Melanie Schellenberg, Kris Dreher, Niklas Holzwarth, Fabian Isensee, Annika Reinke, Nicholas Schreck, Alexander Seitel, Minu D. Tizabi, Lena Maier-Hein, Janek Gr\\"ohl Published: 2021-05-20T09:33:55.000Z ## Abstract Photoacoustic (PA) imaging has the potential to revolutionize functional medical imaging in healthcare due to the valuable information on tissue physiology contained in multispectral photoacoustic measurements. Clinical translation of the technology requires conversion of the high-dimensional acquired data into clinically relevant and interpretable information. In this work, we present a deep learning-based approach to semantic segmentation of multispectral photoacoustic images to facilitate image interpretability. Manually annotated photoacoustic {and ultrasound} imaging data are used as reference and enable the training of a deep learning-based segmentation algorithm in a supervised manner. Based on a validation study with experimentally acquired data from 16 healthy human volunteers, we show that automatic tissue segmentation can be used to create powerful analyses and visualizations of multispectral photoacoustic images. Due to the intuitive representation of high-dimensional information, such a preprocessing algorithm could be a valuable means to facilitate the clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging. ## Recorded benchmark results A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage. ## Original sources and implementation [Original paper]() [PDF]()