Abstract: Systems comprising a combination of the handheld imaging system with a nanoparticle multimodal contrast agent are disclosed. The imaging system exploits the advantages of both near-infrared emission and the photoacoustic effect by employing calcium phosphosilicate nanocolloid that encapsulates NIR and CT/MRI contrast agents for enhanced deep tissue imaging as well as a portable NIR/PA system using a tunable pulsed laser, CCD imaging technology and acoustic transducer arrays. Methods for using the system, for example in rapid diagnosis of trauma such as that inflicted on a battlefield, are provided.