Automatic Polyp Detection Using Microwave Endoscopy for Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Early Detection: Phantom Validation

A system to integrate microwave imaging with optical colonoscopy is presented. The overarching goal is to improve the prevention and early diagnosis of one of the main health and economic burdens of an increasingly aging population, i.e., colorectal cancer. For a colonoscopy, the gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis, 22% of polyps are not detected, and the risk of cancer after a negative colonoscopy can be up to 7.9%. To remedy this, a microwave imaging system able to generate an alarm when a polyp is detected is designed, manufactured and validated with a colon phantom composed of tissue-mimicking oil-gelatin materials reproducing the anatomy and dielectric properties of a human colon with a polyp. The acquisition was performed by a miniaturized ring-shaped switched array of 16 antennas attachable at the tip of a conventional colonoscope. This has been conceived to satisfy endoscopy size restrictions, patient safety and intercompatibility with current clinical practice. A Modified Monofocusing imaging method preceded by a previous frame average subtraction as a calibration technique shows a perfect detection of a 10-mm polyp (100% sensitivity and specificity) in the eight analyzed trajectories. The phantom results demonstrate the feasibility of the system in future preclinical trials.