NON-INVASIVE ACTIVE THERMOMETRY WITH A MICROWAVE TOMOGRAPHIC SCANNER IN HYPERTHERMIA TREATMENTS

Abstract

In this work the active microwave tomographic imaging of tissue temperature changes induced in deep hyperthermia treatments is studied. The thermal images would allow to monitor and optimize the treatment, increasing its efficacy and avoiding the heating of healthy tissues. As some hyperthermia systems are based on a cylindrical geometry, it is possible to integrate a microwave imaging array in the same structure, providing a non-invasive tool for the monitoring and control. The application of this technique to deep hyperthermia treatments is investigated by numerical simulations and experimentally on two phantoms of thorax and pelvis, using a prototype for microwave tomography recently developed [Jofre et al, 1990]. lVol. 7, No. 2, pp. 121-127 (1992), Special Issue on Bioelectromagnetic Computations]