Medical imaging with a microwave tomographic scanner

A microwave tomographic scanner for biomedical applications is presented. It consists of a 64-element circular array with a useful diameter of 20 cm. Electronically scanning the transmitting and receiving antennas allows multiview measurements with no mechanical movement. Imaging parameters-a spatial resolution of 7 mm and a contrast resolution of 1% for a measurement time of 3 s-are appropriate for medical use. Measurements on tissue-simulating phantoms and volunteers, together with numerical simulations, are presented to assess the system for absolute imaging of tissue distribution and for differential imaging of physiological, pathological, and induced changes in tissues.<
>