A clinical prototype for active microwave imaging of the breast
A clinical prototype for active microwave imaging of the breast
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DOI：
10.1109/22.883861
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发表时间：
2000-11-01
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Paulsen, KD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Meaney, PM;Fanning, MW;Paulsen, KD
尽管X光乳房X光检查在检测和定性乳房疾病方面有公认的价值，但它仍有重要的局限性，这促使人们寻求替代方案，以增强放射科医生目前可用的诊断工具。追求电磁方法的理由很充分：文献中的数据表明，在高兆赫到低千兆赫的频谱范围内，乳腺恶性肿瘤的电磁特性与正常情况有很大不同，微波照射可以在这些频率有效地穿透乳房，并且乳房是一个随时可以接触到的小组织体积，使其成为部署先进的近场成像概念的理想场所，这些概念利用了基于模型的图像重建方法。本文报道了一种微波成像系统的临床原型，它使用一个16元收发单极天线阵列在300-1000 MHz范围内主动照射乳房，通过水耦合接口向5名妇女提供微波检查，参与者俯卧在检查台上，这种配置被发现是一种实用、舒适的微波乳房成像方法，每个乳房持续10-15分钟，包括从胸壁开始的七个不同阵列高度的完整断层扫描数据采集，每个阵列位置有七个不同的频率。这项临床经验似乎是第一个关于乳房主动近场微波成像的报告，当然也是第一次尝试利用活体乳房数据的基于模型的图像重建，以便将测量的微波信号转换为电介电常数和电导率的空间地图，虽然显然是初步的，但结果令人鼓舞，并提供了一些有趣的发现。具体地说，乳房整体的平均相对介电常数似乎与放射学乳房密度分类相关，可能比以前公布的基于体外组织样本的值高得多。
Despite its recognized value in detecting and characterizing breast disease, X-ray mammography has important limitations that motivate the quest for alternatives to augment the diagnostic tools that are currently available to the radiologist. The rationale for pursuing electromagnetic methods is strong given: the data in the literature, which show that the electromagnetic properties of breast malignancy are significantly different than normal in the high megahertz to low gigahertz spectral range, microwave illumination can effectively penetrate the breast at these frequencies, and the breast is a small readily accessible tissue volume, making it an ideal site for deploying advanced near-field imaging concepts that exploit model-based image reconstruction methodology. In this paper, a clinical prototype of a microwave imaging system, which actively illuminates the breast with a 16-element transceiving monopole antenna array in the 300-1000-MHz range, is reported, Microwave exams have been delivered to five women through a water-coupled interface to the pendant breast with the participant positioned prone on an examination table, This configuration has been found to be a practical, comfortable approach to microwave breast imaging, Sessions lasted 10-15 min per breast and included full tomographic data acquisition at seven different array heights beginning at the chest wall and moving anteriorly toward the nipple for seven different frequencies at each array position. This clinical experience appears to be the first report of active near-field microwave imaging of the breast and is certainly the first attempt to exploit model-based image reconstructions from in vivo breast data in order to convert the measured microwave signals into spatial maps of electrical permittivity and conductivity, While clearly preliminary, the results are encouraging and have supplied some interesting findings. Specifically, it appears that the average relative permittivity of the breast as a whole correlates with radiologic breast density categorization and may be considerably higher than previously published values, which have been based on ex vivo tissue specimens.