Microwave Imaging for Therapy Monitoring and Assessment

描述（由申请人提供）：开发低成本的局部癌症治疗监测和评估成像模式的重要机会，可以改善临床结果。该项目的主要假设是，近场微波成像可以提供新形式的中等分辨率（5-10mm）空间信息，这将对治疗环境中的临床决策产生积极影响。建议更新期的中心主题是(i)完成三维微波成像方法的开发和评估，（ii）将超声加热技术与成像系统集成，以及（iii）利用获取数据中的宽带频谱信息。这些主题导致了以下假设：(a) 3D方法对于精确的组织微波成像至关重要，并且可以以实用的形式实现；(b)超声加热技术可以与现有的固定阵列成像设计集成，而不会影响加热能力或成像性能；(c)宽带光谱数据可以改善数据校准，图像重建和组织识别。在拟议的继续期间检验这些假设的具体目标是：(1)三维数据采集的发展；(2)三维图像重建的发展，其中包括一些先进的计算增强策略；(3)成像阵列与扫描聚焦超声的集成；(4)三维微波成像的实验优化，使用实验室模拟研究和体内动物模型系统来量化治疗温度升高条件下的静态/动态成像性能。热诱导病变和电离辐射诱导反应。如果成功，这项工作将大大推进目前最先进的医学微波成像技术，为未来临床规模的研究铺平道路。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are significant opportunities for developing low cost imaging modalities for localized cancer therapy monitoring and assessment that could serve to improve clinical outcomes. The principal hypothesis, which underpins this project, is that near-field microwave imaging can provide new forms of moderately resolved (5-10mm) spatial information which will positively influence clinical decision making in the therapy setting. The central themes for the proposed renewal period are (i) to complete the development and evaluation of 3D microwave imaging methods, (ii) to integrate ultrasound-heating technology with the imaging system, and (iii) to exploit the broadband spectral information in the acquired data. These themes lead to the hypotheses that (a) 3D methods are critical to accurate microwave imaging of tissue and can be realized in a practical form, (b) ultrasound heating technology can be integrated with the existing fixed array imaging design without compromising either the heating capabilities or the imaging performance, and (c) broadband spectral data improves data calibration, image reconstruction and tissue discrimination. The specific aims that will be pursued during the proposed continuation period to test these hypotheses are: (1) Development of 3D data acquisition, (2) Development of 3D image reconstruction which includes a number of advanced computational enhancement strategies, (3) Integration of the imaging array with scanned focused ultrasound, and (4) Experimental optimization of 3D microwave imaging using laboratory phantom studies and in vivo animal model systems to quantify static/dynamic imaging performance under conditions of therapeutic temperature elevation, thermally-induced lesions and ionizing radiation-induced reactions. If successful, this work would substantially advance the current state-of-the-art in medical microwave imaging technology paving the way for future studies at the clinical scale.