NLOQO HomeIssue Contents

Microwave Applicator for Soft Tissue Hyperthermia
Mihaela Morega, Alexandru Morega and Alina Machedon

Heating of conductive media through exposure to electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range of 108–1011 Hz is applied in medicine to obtain thermal effects proper to treat tumors. Several therapeutic procedures, like hyperthermia and coagulation, are based on power deposition in biological tissue acting as lossy dielectric material. Numerical modeling of the intervention represents a research tool, useful for the optimization of the procedure. The coupled phenomena, electromagnetic and thermal, are analyzed here in a numerical experiment with the finite element method (FEM). Dosimetric quantities – electromagnetic field (EMF) strength, absorbed power density and temperature – are computed inside the exposed volume of tissue and the energetic efficiency of the applicator is evaluated.

The goal of the paper is to evaluate some dosimetric parameters and to provide heating control during the treatment of liver tumors through hyperthermia; the method provides the rise of the temperature in the tumorous tissue to 43–45C for extended periods of time.

Keywords: Microwave antenna, hyperthermia, tumor treatment, numerical modeling, electromagnetic field computation.

Full Text (IP)