An overview of ultra-wideband microwave imaging via space-time beamforming for early-stage breast-cancer detection

Ultra-wideband (UWB) microwave imaging has recently been proposed for detecting small malignant breast tumors. In this article, we review the current research status of this approach. First, we introduce the concept of microwave imaging via space-time (MIST) beamforming and related signal-processing algorithms. The objective of these signal-processing techniques is to form a spatial image of scattered microwave energy, and to identify the presence and location of malignant lesions from their scattering signatures. Next, we present numerical studies based on finite-difference time-domain simulations to demonstrate the efficacy of MIST beamforming for detecting small malignant breast lesions in both prone and supine configurations. Finally, the experimental feasibility of UWB microwave imaging is demonstrated using an initial imaging prototype and multilayered breast phantoms.     

Multistatic adaptive microwave imaging for early breast cancer detection

We propose a new multistatic adaptive microwave imaging (MAMI) method for early breast cancer detection. MAMI is a two-stage robust Capon beamforming (RCB) based image formation algorithm. MAMI exhibits higher resolution, lower sidelobes, and better noise and interference rejection capabilities than the existing approaches. The effectiveness of using MAMI for breast cancer detection is demonstrated via a simulated 3-D breast model and several numerical examples.     

A confocal microwave imaging algorithm for breast cancer detection

We present a computationally efficient and robust image reconstruction algorithm for breast cancer detection using an ultrawideband confocal microwave imaging system. To test the efficacy of this approach, we have developed a two-dimensional (2-D) anatomically realistic MRI-derived FDTD model of the cancerous breast. The image reconstruction algorithm is applied to FDTD-computed backscatter signals, resulting in a microwave image that clearly identifies the presence and location of the malignant lesion. These simulations demonstrate the feasibility of detecting and imaging small breast tumors using this novel approach     

Multifrequency microwave-induced thermal acoustic imaging for breast cancer detection

Microwave-induced thermal acoustic imaging (TAI) is a promising early breast cancer detection technique, which combines the advantages of microwave stimulation and ultrasound imaging and offers a high imaging contrast, as well as high spatial resolution at the same time. A new multifrequency microwave-induced thermal acoustic imaging scheme for early breast cancer detection is proposed in this paper. Significantly more information about the human breast can be gathered using multiple frequency microwave stimulation. A multifrequency adaptive and robust technique (MART) is presented for image formation. Due to its data-adaptive nature, MART can achieve better resolution and better interference rejection capability than its data-independent counterparts, such as the delay-and-sum method. The effectiveness of this procedure is shown by several numerical examples based on 2-D breast models. The finite-difference time-domain method is used to simulate the electromagnetic field distribution, the absorbed microwave energy density, and the thermal acoustic field in the breast model.     

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging model for potential breast cancer detection

In this study, we develop a complete microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) model for potential breast cancer imaging application. Acoustic pressures generated by different breast tissue targets are investigated by finite-difference time-domain simulations of the entire TAI process including the feeding antenna, matching mechanism, fluidic environment, 3-D breast model, and acoustic transducer. Simulation results achieve quantitative relationships between the input microwave peak power and the resulting specific absorption rate as well as the output acoustic pressure. Microwave frequency dependence of the acoustic signals due to different breast tissues is established across a broadband frequency range (2.3-12?GHz), suggesting key advantages of spectroscopic TAI compare to TAI at a single frequency. Reconstructed thermoacoustic images are consistent with the modeling results. This model will contribute to design, optimization, and safety evaluation of microwave-induced TAI and spectroscopy.     

Fast 3-d tomographic microwave imaging for breast cancer detection

Microwave breast imaging (using electromagnetic waves of frequencies around 1 GHz) has mostly remained at the research level for the past decade, gaining little clinical acceptance. The major hurdles limiting patient use are both at the hardware level (challenges in collecting accurate and noncorrupted data) and software level (often plagued by unrealistic reconstruction times in the tens of hours). In this paper we report improvements that address both issues. First, the hardware is able to measure signals down to levels compatible with sub-centimeter image resolution while keeping an exam time under 2 min. Second, the software overcomes the enormous time burden and produces similarly accurate images in less than 20 min. The combination of the new hardware and software allows us to produce and report here the first clinical 3-D microwave tomographic images of the breast. Two clinical examples are selected out of 400+ exams conducted at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, NH). The first example demonstrates the potential usefulness of our system for breast cancer screening while the second example focuses on therapy monitoring.     

Application of quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes in beamforming

It is well known that when channel information is available at the transmitter, transmit beamforming scheme can be employed to enhance the performance of a multiple-antenna system. Recently, Jongren et al. and Zhou-Giannakis proposed a new performance criterion based on partial channel side information at the transmitter. With this criterion, an optimal beamforming matrix was constructed for the orthogonal space-time block codes. However, the same method has not been applied to the recently proposed quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes (QSTBCs) due to the nonorthogonal nature of the quasi-orthogonal designs. In this paper, the issue of combining beamforming with QSTBCs is addressed. Based on our asymptotic analysis, we extend the beamforming scheme from Jongren et al. and construct the beamforming matrices for the quasi-orthogonal designs. The proposed beamforming scheme accomplishes high transmission rate as well as high-order spatial diversity. The new QSTBC beamformer can be presented as a novel four-directional or eight-directional eigen-beamformer that works for systems with four or more transmit antennas. Simulations for systems with multiple transmit antennas demonstrate significant performance improvement over several other widely used beamforming methods at various SNRs and for channels with different quality of feedback.     

Confocal microwave imaging for breast cancer detection: delay-multiply-and-sum image reconstruction algorithm

A new image reconstruction algorithm, termed as delay-multiply-and-sum (DMAS), for breast cancer detection using an ultra-wideband confocal microwave imaging technique is proposed. In DMAS algorithm, the backscattered signals received from numerical breast phantoms simulated using the finite-difference time-domain method are time shifted, multiplied in pair, and the products are summed to form a synthetic focal point. The effectiveness of the DMAS algorithm is shown by applying it to backscattered signals received from a variety of numerical breast phantoms. The reconstructed images illustrate improvement in identification of embedded malignant tumors over the delay-and-sum algorithm. Successful detection and localization of tumors as small as 2 mm in diameter are also demonstrated.     

乳腺癌检测的三维时域微波断层成像方法

应用泛函分析和变分法,改进拉格朗日(Lagrange)乘子算法为一种三维时域微波断层成像方法,用于检测早期乳腺癌。该方法首先以最小二乘准则构造目标函数,将反演问题表示为约束最小化问题;接着应用罚函数法转化为无约束最小化问题;然后基于变分计算导出闭式的拉格朗日函数关于相对介电常数和电导率的Fréchet导数;最后借助梯度算法和时域有限差分(FDTD)法迭代求解。为了对抗噪声污染和逆问题的病态特性,采用了一阶的吉洪诺夫(Tikhonov)正则化方法。利用FDTD和PRP共轭梯度(CG)法,对三维半球乳房模型进行了仿真计算,仿真结果显示了方法的可行性。     

Confocal microwave imaging for breast cancer detection: localization of tumors in three dimensions

The physical basis for breast tumor detection with microwave imaging is the contrast in dielectric properties of normal and malignant breast tissues. Confocal microwave imaging involves illuminating the breast with an ultra-wideband pulse from a number of antenna locations, then synthetically focusing reflections from the breast. The detection of malignant tumors is achieved by the coherent addition of returns from these strongly scattering objects. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of detecting and localizing small (<1 cm) tumors in three dimensions with numerical models of two system configurations involving synthetic cylindrical and planar antenna arrays. Image formation algorithms are developed to enhance tumor responses and reduce early- and late-time clutter. The early-time clutter consists of the incident pulse and reflections from the skin, while the late-time clutter is primarily due to the heterogeneity of breast tissue. Successful detection of 6-mm-diameter spherical tumors is achieved with both planar and cylindrical systems, and similar performance measures are obtained. The influences of the synthetic array size and position relative to the tumor are also explored.     

Wideband synthetic aperture beamforming for through-the-wall imaging

Through-the-wall radar imaging (TWRI) and sensing is emerging as an important area of research and development. A TWRI system provides enhanced situational awareness in operational environments for a variety of civilian and military applications. In particular, a TWRI system facilitates realtime information gathering and intelligent decision-making about the contents of the indoor scene. Compared to other radar applications, TWRI faces unique challenges due to signal propagation through walls. The composition and thickness of the wall, its dielectric constant, and the angle of incidence affect the strength and characteristics of the propagating signal. The change in propagation speed and wave refraction must be taken into account for effective and accurate imaging. In this article, we present a synthetic aperture beamforming approach that uses ray perturbation theory to account for the effects of transmission through a single uniform wall.     

Better breast cancer detection

X-rays go digital, computers read film, and chemicals mark tumors, but will these new technologies make it in the clinic? The imaging technologies considered for breast cancer include film-screen mammography, full field digital mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, scintimammography, thermography, electrical impedance imaging, optical imaging, electric potential measurement, positron emission tomography, novel ultrasound techniques, elastography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermoacoustic computed tomography, microwave imaging, Hall-effect imaging and magneto-mammography     

ADI-FDTD方法在乳腺癌检测正向计算中的应用

传统的时域有限差分(Finite-Difference Time-Domain, FDTD)算法受到稳定性条件的制约, 时间步长受限于空间网格的尺寸.医学应用讲究即时性, 为提高成像的速度, 文中采用无条件稳定的交替隐式时域有限差分(Alternating-Direction Implicit Finite-Difference Time-Domain, ADI-FDTD)算法替代传统的FDTD算法进行正向计算, 通过实验得出采用ADI-FDTD算法在保证精度的前提下, 计算时间可缩短为FDTD算法的四分之一, 为乳腺癌微波即时成像提供了可能.     

A broadband MVDR beamforming core for ultrasound imaging

The Minimum Variance Distortion less Response (MVDR) beamformer is an attractive alternative to conventional delay and sum (DAS) beamformers in medical ultrasound imaging. However, it is not widely employed in medical ultrasound imaging due to its computational complexity. In this paper, we intend to present a novel broadband MVDR beamformer architecture and its implementation for up to 32 channel ultrasound imaging system. The proposed architecture is based on the subarray MVDR and Dichotomous Coordinate Descent (DCD) iteration based adaptive weight computation. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based ultrasound system prototype set up is designed, and the proposed MVDR beamforming Core is emulated on the FPGA. The proposed beamforming core could achieve up to 65.5 fps for a 640 x 480 ultrasound frame. The ultrasound system prototype operates at 20 MHz sampling frequency, and the FPGA implementation resulted in approximately 35% of FPGA resources (Xilinx Kintex-7 410T). Image quality comparisons in terms of Contrast Ration (CR) and Contrast to Noise Ratio (CNR) were performed with MATLAB™ MVDR model ported on the Verasonics™ Vantage-64 ultrasound research platform.     

Microwave breast imaging: 3-D forward scattering simulation

Active microwave imaging (MWI) is emerging as a promising technique for the detection of biomedical anomalies such as breast cancer because of the high electrical contrasts between malignant tumors and normal tissue. Previously, we have developed fast two-dimensional forward and inverse scattering algorithms for MWI systems. In this paper, we report the full three-dimensional (3-D) forward scattering simulation in order to account for 3-D effects and to provide a fast solver in future 3-D nonlinear inverse scattering methods. The 3-D fast forward method is based on the stabilized biconjugate-gradient fast Fourier transform (BCGS-FFT) algorithm. The method has been validated for various MWI measurement scenarios. Using this fast simulation method, we demonstrate the importance of accounting for 3-D effects in MWI, and we compare numerical results with the measurements from an experimental prototype.     

Decision-feedback detection for block differential space-time modulation

Time variation on fading channels hinders accurate channel estimation in differential space-time modulation and deteriorates the performance. Decision-feedback differential detection is studied for block differential space-time modulation, and compared with conventional differential space-time modulation. It is observed that the proposed scheme does not suffer effective fading bandwidth expansion, as does the conventional scheme. An improved effective signal-to-noise ratio approach is proposed for analyzing the performance of the proposed scheme in time-varying flat Rayleigh fading. Theoretical analysis and simulations show the improved performance of the proposed scheme over the conventional scheme.     

Graph-based detection algorithms for layered space-time architectures

We consider a unified framework to develop various graph-based detection algorithms for layered space-time architectures. We start with a factor graph representation for the communication channel, apply a belief propagation (BP) based algorithm for channel detection, and show that the detector achieves a near optimal performance even when number of receive antennas is smaller than number of transmit antennas. Based on this baseline algorithm, we further develop three different extensions of the BP detector that provide a good complexity/performance trade-off, which are especially useful for systems with a large number of antennas or when we encounter a frequency-selective fading channel with a long ISI span. Moreover, all the proposed detectors are soft-input soft-output in nature and they can be directly applied for use in turbo processing without any additional modifications. We study the performance of the new detectors via both simulations and convergence analysis using the measure of average mutual information.     

A computational paradigm for space-time multiuser detection

In a general wireless system, cells are loosely defined and user signals appear at multiple antennas with various powers and delays. Despite the enormous performance benefits of system-wide maximum-likelihood multiuser detection (ML MUD), its application to such systems is hampered by the lack of a regular structure. Prior work usually dismisses the possibility on computational grounds as exponential in the total number of users, at least. This paper is the first to address efficient computation of system-wide ML MUD. We present a computational organization that achieves dramatic reduction in complexity through exploitation of the partial overlap of user sets at different antennas. This algorithm, which applies to code-division multiple access or narrowband systems, can be viewed as a spatio-temporal extension of the well-known Viterbi algorithm (VA), and, like the VA, it is derived from dynamic programming principles.     

Dielectric-filled slotline bowtie antenna for breast cancer detection

An ultra-wideband dielectric-filled antenna has been designed for the purpose of breast cancer detection. The antenna geometry is a modified version of a slotline bowtie hybrid, which is immersed in a dielectric medium, and fed with an integrated ultra-wideband balun. Simulations were performed on both the balun and the antenna separately. The antenna had a simulated time domain near-field beamwidth of 32/spl deg/. A return loss of 10 dB was obtained from 2.5 to 9 GHz, and 5 dB from 1 to 10 GHz. Both bandwidths were slightly smaller than simulated. A prototype was constructed and feasibility tests were performed on tumour models immersed in a breast phantom material. Measurements demonstrate detection of a 7 mm diameter tumour at a depth of 4 cm from the aperture.