Noninvasive photoacoustic imaging of microscale material degradation in a poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) resorbable hernia mesh

Degradation affects both the safety and function of surgical polymers but remains difficult to track in biological tissue without invasive and/or destructive analysis. Addressing this, we enable noninvasive polymer tracking via hydrophobic dye labeling and photoacoustic imaging. Here pulsed-laser light elicits thermalization and imageable ultrasound emission, showing microscale material decomposition at high resolution. Applying this to an unmet clinical need, we track the hydrolytic breakdown of an established bioresorbable poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) hernia mesh, showing detection at 15 mm tissue depth in an ex vivo porcine model. This approach promises to support future in vivo investigation of polymer behavior across biomedical applications.