Quantitative Interpretation of UWB Radar Images for Non-Invasive Tissue Temperature Estimation during Hyperthermia

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Accurate temperature monitoring is crucial for effective and safe thermal therapies.
• Non-invasive methods are needed to track temperature distribution within tissues during treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a methodology for quantitative, non-invasive tissue temperature estimation.
• To utilize ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging for this purpose.
• To validate the method's capability in detecting temperature-induced dielectric property changes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a quantitative estimation methodology using UWB radar imaging.
• Application of microwave frequencies for tissue property analysis.
• Experimental validation with liquid phantoms and 3D Delay-and-Sum beamforming algorithms.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated capability of UWB radar imaging for non-invasive temperature estimation.
• Successful detection and estimation of temperature-induced dielectric property changes in phantoms.
• Validation of the proposed methodology through experimental data.

Conclusions:

• The UWB radar imaging methodology is effective for non-invasive tissue temperature monitoring.
• This approach can enhance patient safety and clinical outcomes in thermal therapies.
• The method shows promise for real-time temperature feedback during hyperthermia treatments.