Phantoms in hyperthermia and thermal ablation applications at microwave frequencies: a review

Tissue-equivalent dielectric simulators (also named phantoms) are increasingly used to test electromagnetic systems used close to the human body for compliance or research and development purposes. In compliance applications, phantoms are used to verify electromagnetic field absorption in human tissues with reference to safety guidelines. In research and development applications, phantoms are used for verification and optimization of electromagnetic systems performances during the design phase or to validate, e.g., antenna's performances against specifications in reference conditions. In this paper, a review of the phantoms developed and used in case of medical applications of electromagnetic fields at microwave frequencies, with particular reference to thermal applications will be performed.