Experimental assessment of electrical impedance imaging for hyperthermia monitoring

Two experimental studies are presented that attempt to assess the use of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to map thermal changes deep in the body. The first was a joint study between our group in Sheffield and the Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center in Rotterdam, funded by the COMAC-BME Hyperthermia project. Phantom and in vivo experiments were conducted with a deep heating ring-capacitive hyperthermia device; the results highlighted some of the inherent problems (electromagnetic interference, nonuniform sensitivity) that remain to be solved for this application. The second experimental study involved heating the stomachs of volunteers by pumping known quantities of liquid (a salt/glucose solution, conductivity 5 mS) at controlled temperatures (25, 37 and 47 degrees C) in and out of the stomach via a nasogastric tube. Results indicated that the level of thermal change induced by these liquids could be reproducibly measured by impedance imaging. Both studies were a further step in assessing the capabilities of EIT for noninvasive monitoring of deep body hyperthermia. The results are encouraging and indicate the value of continued development of EIT for non-invasive thermometry.