A floating sleeve antenna yields localized hepatic microwave ablation

We report a novel coaxial antenna for hepatic microwave ablation. This device uses a floating sleeve, that is, a metal conductor electrically isolated from the outer connector of the antenna coaxial body, to achieve a highly localized specific absorption rate pattern that is independent of insertion depth. This floating sleeve coaxial dipole antenna has low power reflection in the 2.4-GHz IMS band. Ex vivo experiments confirm our numerical simulation results. Index Terms-Ablation, coaxial aperture antennas, finite element methods, floating sleeve, microwave heating.     

A coaxial antenna with miniaturized choke for minimally invasive interstitial heating

We present a new coaxial antenna for microwave interstitial coagulative therapy, working at 2450 MHz and endowed with a miniaturized sleeve choke in order to reduce back heating effects and make the system response less dependent on the antenna insertion depth into the tissue; the way the choke is implemented makes the overall transversal size minimum and allows small adjustments of the choke section length even during operation. We describe the main technical features of the antenna and show experimental results clearly proving the choke effectiveness. Numerical simulations well agree with experimental data, confirming the suitability of the proposed device for minimally invasive medical applications.     

A 915-MHz antenna for microwave thermal ablation treatment: physical design, computer modeling and experimental measurement

A 915-MHz antenna design that produces specific absorption rate distributions with preferential power deposition in tissues surrounding and including the distal end of the catheter antenna is described. The design features minimal reflected microwave current from the antenna flowing up the transmission line. This cap-choke antenna consists of an annular cap and a coaxial choke which matches the antenna to the coaxial transmission line. The design minimizes heating of the coaxial cable and its performance is not affected by the depth of insertion of the antenna into tissue. The paper provides a comparison of results obtained from computer modeling and experimental measurements made in tissue equivalent phantom materials. There is excellent agreement between numerical modeling and experimental measurement. The cap-choke, matched-dipole type antenna is suitable for intracavitary microwave thermal ablation therapy.     

An implantable microwave antenna for interstitial hyperthermia

This letter presents a new microwave antenna design with greatly enhanced heating at the tip for interstitial hyperthermia. Temperature distribution patterns surrounding the new balun-fed folded dipole antenna are measured in a saline phantom under transient and steady-state conditions.     

Tissue dielectric measurement using an interstitial dipole antenna

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to measure the dielectric properties of biological tissues with an interstitial dipole antenna based upon previous efforts for open-ended coaxial probes. The primary motivation for this technique is to facilitate treatment monitoring during microwave tumor ablation by utilizing the heating antenna without additional intervention or interruption of the treatment. The complex permittivity of a tissue volume surrounding the antenna was calculated from reflection coefficients measured after high-temperature microwave heating by using a rational function model of the antenna's input admittance. Three referencing liquids were needed for measurement calibration. The dielectric measurement technique was validated ex vivo in normal and ablated bovine livers. Relative permittivity and effective conductivity were lower in the ablation zone when compared to normal tissue, consistent with previous results. The dipole technique demonstrated a mean 10% difference of permittivity values when compared to open-ended coaxial cable measurements in the frequency range of 0.5-20 GHz. Variability in measured permittivities could be smoothed by fitting to a Cole-Cole dispersion model. Further development of this technique may facilitate real-time monitoring of microwave ablation treatments through the treatment applicator.     

Heating patterns generated by phase modulation of a hexagonal arrayof interstitial antennas

In this paper, we investigate an array of six interstitial microwave antennas used for hyperthermia cancer treatment. The purpose is to generate both uniform and controlled nonuniform heating patterns in biological tissue by phase modulating the signals applied to each antenna. The array consists of six antennas positioned on the corners of a hexagon. The distance between two diagonal antennas is 4 cm. The distributions of absorbed power per unit mass within the array are computed, and then converted into temperature distributions through a thermal conduction simulation. The SAR and temperature patterns are presented in both the lateral plane (perpendicular to the antennas) and the axial plane (parallel with the antennas). By proper phase modulation of microwave signals applied to each antenna, a uniform heating pattern can be produced within the entire array volume. Also, a peripheral heating pattern may be generated around the array; again, by using the proper phase modulation. The modulation schemes for generating both types of heating patterns are discussed.     

Millimeter-wave integrated-horn antenna. II. Experiment

For pt.I see ibid., vol.39, no.11, p.1575-81 (1991). The impedance and radiation patterns of a dipole-fed horn antenna in a ground plane are experimentally investigated at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. The agreement with the full-wave analysis technique presented in part I is good. The results indicate that for a 70° flare-angle horn, horn apertures from 1.0 λ-square to 1.5 λ-square with dipole positions between 0.36 and 0.55 λ yield good radiation patterns with a gain of 10-13 dB a cross-polarization level lower than -20 dB, and resonant dipole impedances between 40 Ω and 120 Ω. It is also found that the impedance measurements can be safely used for 2-D horn arrays, but the radiation patterns differ because of the Floquet modes associated with the array environment. The integrated horn antenna is a high-efficiency antenna suitable for applications in millimeter-wave imaging systems, remote-sensing, and radioastronomy     

SAR distributions in interstitial microwave antenna arrays with asingle dipole displacement

The use of interstitial microwave antenna array hyperthermia (IMAAH) as a treatment for cancer, in conjunction with radiation therapy and chemotherapy, has been investigated widely. The heating pattern produced by a coherently phased 915 MHz asymmetric antenna array displays the maximum power deposition in the array center. The authors report on the effect of variable insertion depth between antennas of an array on the heating patterns produced. The study of this heating behavior demonstrates a similar effect to that of the variably phased arrays, showing a shift of the heating peak towards the periphery of the tumor, offering a more simple method for the clinical treatment of such tumors     

Design optimization of interstitial antennas

To improve the performance of interstitial antennas for microwave hyperthermia, parameters such as the uniformity of the heating pattern, the depth of penetration, and the impedance matching properties must be optimized. We examined analytically and experimentally the radiation characteristics of multisection insulated antennas in conductive tissue. The effects of varying the diameters and lengths of the center conductors in the various sections of the antenna and the diameter and type of the insulation on the electromagnetic power deposition pattern and input impedance characteristics were examined. A new approximate numerical model which calculates the current distribution and the radiation characteristics of multisection insulated antennas was developed. The numerical predictions were verified in a qualitative way experimentally by mapping the various near- and far-field components of these antennas. Based on the obtained results, design tradeoffs are identified and quantified, and guidelines for optimum designs are specified. In particular, it is shown that an insulation-to-center-conductor diameter ratio between 1.5 to 2.0 is optimum for a uniform Teflon insulation, and that a multisection arrangement with the thinnest insulation near the antenna tip has superior performance compared with the uniform insulation or other multisection designs.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of air cooling forintracavitary microwave hyperthermia applicators

An intracavitary microwave antenna array system has been developed and tested for the hyperthermia treatment of prostate cancer at Thayer School of Engineering and Dartmouth-Witchcock Medical Center. The antenna array consists of a choked dipole antenna inserted into the urethra and a choked dipole antenna eccentrically embedded in a Teflon obturator inserted into the rectum. To prevent unnecessary heating of the healthy tissue that surrounds each applicator, an air cooling system has been incorporated into the rectal applicator. The air cooling system was designed and modeled theoretically using a numerical solution of heat and momentum equations within the applicator, and an analytical solution of the Pennes bioheat equation in tissue surrounding the applicator. The 3D temperature distribution produced by the air-cooled rectal applicator was measured in a perfused canine prostate     

Input impedance characteristics of coaxial slot antennas forinterstitial microwave hyperthermia

In this paper, a transmission-line type of input impedance model originally developed by King et al. (1983) for the insulated dipole antenna embedded in a homogeneous dissipative medium is extended to the case of insulated coaxial slot antenna. Physical construction of the latter indicates the presence of additional current path(s) inside the feed line, which shall lead to the shortening of its resonance length. This effect is taken into account in the impedance model and verified by experiments. Furthermore, a simple strategy for optimizing the applicator's impedance-matching performance is also described and verified. Excellent agreements observed between theoretical and measured S₁₁ data indicate that these models can be relied upon when designing an efficient applicator for interstitial microwave hyperthermia     

Energy deposition in simulated human operators of 800-MHz portable transmitters

The measured values of energy deposited in simulated human tissue exposed for one minute in the immediate vicinity of 800 MHz portable radio transmitters are presented. The deposited RF energy was evaluated by temperature measurements. The portable radio used in the tests had a 6-W experimental transmitter operating at 840 MHz. Two different antennas were tested for energy deposition: a sleeve dipole and a resonant whip. The two antennas have given substantially different results indicating different field structures near the two radiators. The experiments with flat slabs have shown that the sleeve dipole deposits higher levels of power density than the resonant whip in the near field although the length of the latter radiator is about half the size of the former. The temperature profiles generated by both antennas inside the head of the simulated operator indicate the presence of a "hot spot" about 1 in below the surface of the temporal bone. This phenomenon was not detected previously at lower frequencies. The short antenna exposes the eye of the operator to more intense power deposition than the sleeve dipole. The temperature increases measured during the investigation are so small that no thermal damage to tissue should be caused by normal use of the portable radio.     

Microwave hyperthermia induced by a phased interstitial antennaarray

An interstitial microwave antenna array for hyperthermia cancer treatment is investigated. The purpose is to generate both uniform and controlled nonuniform temperature distributions in biological tissue by modulating the phases of the signals applied to each antenna. The array has four antennas positioned on the corners of a 2 cm square. The distributions of absorbed power within the arrays are computed and then converted into temperature distributions through a heat conduction simulation. The temperature patterns over phantom muscle are presented in both the lateral plane (perpendicular to the antennas) and the axial plane (parallel to the antennas). It is found that by proper phase modulation of radiofrequency signals applied to each antenna, a uniform heating can be produced in the entire array volume     

Center-fed microstrip patch antenna

A novel feeding scheme for microstrip patch antennas is presented, which consists of a coaxial probe and shorting pin separated by a narrow slot centrally cut at the radiating patch. The impedance and radiation characteristics of a conventional probe-fed microstrip patch antenna and the proposed microstrip patch antenna are experimentally examined and compared. The effects of the slot length on the antenna operation are also discussed.     

The calculated and measured temperature distribution of a phasedinterstitial antenna array [invasive applicators]

The power deposition pattern of four antennas, positioned on the corners of a 2-cm square array with different driving phases, is computed under the assumption of negligible coupling between the antennas. The spatial SAR (specific absorption rate) distribution is calculated by modeling each interstitial applicator as an insulated, asymmetric dipole. For comparison with the heating patterns measured by a thermal video system, the calculated SAR distributions are converted into temperature patterns through an electric network simulation of the heating in artificial muscle tissue. At each nodal point of a grid in the thermal system, the absorbed microwave power (or SAR times density), thermal resistivity, heat capacitance, and temperature are simulated, respectively, as current source, electrical resistance, electrical capacitance and potential. Therefore, solving the equivalent electric network on a computerized simulation routine (SPICE) yields the temperature distribution. In both the axial and transverse planes, the resulting temperature distributions from the antenna array, with various driving phases, agree very well with the measured temperature patterns     

体声波介导磁电天线的研究进展与技术框架

为突破传统"电源型"天线尺寸微缩难、阻抗匹配难、辐射效率低等原理性桎梏,基于器件物理本质首次准确定义了体声波(bulk acoustic wave,BAW)介导的磁电(magnetoelectric,ME)耦合天线,即BAW ME天线.这是一种新型"磁源型"天线或机械天线,其工作机理迥异于"电源型"天线,有望通过原理颠...     

Broadband Patch Antenna With a Folded Plate Pair as a Differential Feeding Scheme

A broadband differential-fed patch antenna (DFPA) with good radiation pattern is proposed and studied. Unlike conventional DFPAs, the proposed antenna employs a folded plate pair as the differential feeding scheme. The devised feeding approach subtly acts as an impedance matching media for two radiation modes of the antenna, conducing to the wide impedance bandwidth. The conceived bandwidth enhancement technique demonstrates an impedance bandwidth (SWR les2) of up to 74% which outperforms conventional broadband patch antennas of more than 20%. Meanwhile, by using a differentially-driven signal along with the introduced feeding scheme, symmetric radiation patterns, low cross-polarization levels and stable radiation patterns are realized within the band. More importantly, the antenna has a stable gain at 8.5 dBi within a wide frequency range, demonstrating the high stability of the radiation characteristics for the two radiation modes. Analysis and parametric studies of the proposed feeding structure are provided.     

FM wide band panel dipole antenna

It is very common that when a broadcaster needs to install an FM transmitting antenna within a large metropolitan area he places it on the tallest structure or building available. When the rooftop is already occupied by a large number of other types of transmitting and receiving antennas, the panel dipole antenna should be chosen. This antenna is secured to the side walls of the upper floors with the panel oriented to obtain full coverage of the most desirable areas of the city. For the Buenos Aires area this orientation avoids radiating toward Uruguay and specifically toward Montevideo, some 140 miles away. A wide band antenna operation permits placing the station on the air and at the same time allows future stations to share it without the installation of new antennas. Details of model and full model impedance and radiation pattern measurements during the antenna development are presented in order to show its technical characteristics. The radiation patterns were measured on a scale model in an anechoic chamber. The full scaled model was measured in an outdoor antenna range. Both E and H plane radiation patterns were measured along the FM band in order to observe pattern variations on both planes. Practically no difference in a panel radiation beamwidth from 88 to 108 MHz was observed and at the same time good input impedance was maintained. A really wide band antenna in pattern and VSWR is obtained. Power division for the antenna system is obtained designing an eight port power divider using the microstrip line technique. In this case, however due to high power operation the ground plane and strip are contained in a sealed metallic box and are separated by high pressure dry air like into the 3" feeding coaxial line.     

Shortening ratios of modified dipole antennas

Two types of modified dipole antennas, zigzag and meander-line types, are analyzed and the shortening ratios are calculated. A zigzag dipole antenna with a wire length of 0.58 wavelengths has a shortening ratio of 24 percent with a resonant resistance of46 Omega. A meander-line dipole antenna with a wire length of 0.70 wavelengths has a shortening ratio of 30 percent with a resonant resistance of43 Omega. It is found that the radiation patterns of these two types of antennas are similar to the radiation pattern of a conventional half-wave linear dipole antenna.     

Accurate analysis of TEM horn antennas for pulse radiation

In the past, various approximate theoretical models have been used to analyze TEM horn antennas. Because of the limitations of these approximate models, there has been, to date, only qualitative agreement of measurements for TEM horn antennas with the predictions of the theories. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to accurately analyze TEM horn antennas for pulse radiation. First, the metallic triangular-plate TEM horn antenna is considered. Computed results for the reflected voltage in the feeding transmission line and the time-varying radiated electric field are shown to be in very good agreement with new experimental measurements. Graphs of the electric field in the space surrounding the antenna (magnitude of field plotted on a color scale) are used to give a physical insight into the process of radiation. Next, the method is used to analyze two TEM horns that were previously designed for pulse radiation. The geometry and electrical properties of these antennas are more complicated than for the metallic, triangular-plate horn. One has shaped metallic plates with a resistive termination at the open end; the other has plates whose resistance varies continuously along their length. The computed results for these antennas are compared with previously made experimental measurements