Self-Calibrating Diagnostic Digital Radiometer

描述(由申请人提供)：拟议的第二阶段计划的总体目标是完成自我校准的低成本手持数字微波辐射计的开发和评估，该辐射计可以通过与人体的简单接触非侵入性地测量地下温度，以便检测和定位地下炎症。除了用作测量核心温度的接触式温度计外，辐射计的潜在应用还包括检测手术后伤口或植入设备周围的感染，定位导致皮下组织局部温度升高的恶性肿瘤，评估血管不足和炎症性疾病(如关节炎)，以及确定这些疾病的治疗效果。辐射计的新架构将使用小型化的微波组件实现，包括最近推出的用于低噪声放大器的硅锗微波晶体管和高增益对数放大器/检测器集成电路，该集成电路可大幅降低将温度产生的噪声放大到足够的检测水平所需的增益。一种新型的利用微波场效应晶体管的低损耗谐振开关被开发出来，以简化数字校准过程，而不会像其他现有的小型化开关那样增加噪声或过高的损耗。在以前的机柜安装的数字辐射计中开发和验证的数字校准和测量技术将被改编并用于拟议的辐射计，该辐射计将在专门开发的组织等效的三维体模中进行测试，该体模能够模拟临床上有趣的地下温度分布，并将结果用于最终设计适合实验室测试的原型仪器，从而产生适合临床测试的最终设计。将与制造商建立联系，以期早日实现商业化。与传统温度计不同，手持数字微波辐射计将方便、快速、非侵入性地测量地下温度。辐射计将提供定位感染和损伤的新方法，因为它能够估计温度-深度关系。治疗的有效性可以通过监测药物或手术过程中体内温度的变化来量化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall aim of the proposed Phase II program is to complete the development and evaluation of a self-calibrating, low-cost Handheld Digital Microwave Radiometer that can non-invasively measure subsurface temperatures by simple contact with the human body in order to detect and locate subsurface inflammations. In addition to its use as a contact thermometer for core temperature measurement, promising applications for the Radiometer include detecting infections around post-surgical wounds or implanted devices, locating malignant tumors that cause local temperature increases in subcutaneous tissues, evaluating vascular insufficiencies and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and determining the efficacy of treatments for these diseases. The novel architecture of the Radiometer will be implemented using miniaturized microwave components including recently available silicon-germanium microwave transistors for low-noise amplifiers and a high-gain logarithmic amplifier/detector integrated circuit that drastically reduces the gain required to amplify temperature-generated noise to adequate detection levels. A novel low-loss resonant switch using microwave field-effect transistors has been developed to simplify the digital calibration process without the added noise or excessive loss of other available miniaturized switches. The digital calibration and measurement technique developed and proven in previous cabinet mounted digital radiometers will be adapted and used in the proposed Radiometer which will be tested in a specially developed tissue-equivalent 3-D phantom capable of simulating clinically interesting subsurface temperature profiles, and the results will be used to finalize the design of a prototype instrument suitable for laboratory testing leading to a final design suitable for clinical testing. Contacts with manufacturers will be established with the aim of early commercialization. Unlike conventional thermometers, the Handheld Digital Microwave Radiometer will conveniently, quickly, and non-invasively measure subsurface temperatures. The Radiometer will provide new means of locating infections and lesions because of the ability to estimate a temperature-depth relation. The effectiveness of treatments can be quantified by monitoring changes of internal temperatures with medicines or procedures.