A model-driven approach to microwave diagnostics in biomedical applications

A model-driven approach to microwave diagnostics for biological bodies is presented. The approach is developed in the space domain and is based on a numerical solution of the equation for the scaler two-dimensional (2-D) inverse-scattering problem. The aim is to use a priori information on the biological body under test (homogeneous along the transverse axis) in order to focus the investigation process on only one subdomain of the body, with a considerable computational saving. The method requires the numerical computation of the Green's function for an unperturbed model of the body in order to apply reconstruction techniques to a reduced investigation domain, which can be changed inside the body, with a reduction in on-line computation. The paper defines the mathematical formulation for a 2-D TM and presents the reconstructions of some schematized scatterers corresponding to living tissues.