Enhanced Design and Analysis of a Minimally Invasive Antenna for Microwave Ablation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma's significant mortality rates have driven the exploration of advanced ablation techniques, with microwave ablation emerging as a promising thermal method. However, in-vivo analysis feasibility is limited, necessitating precise computational models. In this work, we designed and analyzed an externally tapped intertwined helical antenna with 3T-Rings for MWA. The antenna was tested on a tissue model using the High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS), and the results showed a reflection coefficient S11 of –24.36dB and a gain of -0.86dB. Temperature-dependent permittivity, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity along with phase change effect due to temperature reaching above 100°C are incorporated using finite element method model in COMSOL. To optimize the ablation zone size, a Taguchi L27 orthogonal array is utilized. The simulation results underscore the potential of an intertwined helical antenna for MWA applications, offering insights into enhancing treatment efficacy while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.