In Vitro and In Vivo Testing of Implantable Antennas

This chapter is organized to discuss the commonly used implantable antenna materials, in vitro, and in vivo testing. It discusses common conductors, their health effects, and alternate conductors in conjunction with biocompatibility and miniaturization techniques. Bench top testing discusses the mixture and measurement of in vitro gels, and common tests are performed on the bench top. The chapter provides an overview of in vivo testing, including different animal test models compared to a human test subject, dielectric mismatches between the dielectric properties of tissues seen in the literature and the tissues seen in the surgery room, and some practical testing considerations to perform antenna testing in a hospital or medical research facility. It concentrates on gelatin‐based semisolid tissue‐mimicking phantoms for the purpose of in vitro testing. The chapter also discusses the differences between human tissue and two common animal test models, porcine and rodent.