Space-Time Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

描述（申请人提供）：拟开展研究的目的是 为了证明超宽带时空微波成像的可行性， （STMI）方法用于早期乳腺癌检测。的结果 我们的工作将是：1）发展关于信号处理的鲁棒STM 恶性病变的检测和成像算法，2）STMI性能 使用真实数字乳房模型进行评价，3）真实物理 乳房模型和第一代STMI硬件原型，以及4） 使用物理模型和离体的实验STMI性能评价 人体乳腺组织成像场景。两类STMI算法将 考虑：波束形成和自适应检测。波束形成器结合了 在天线阵列处的反向散射信号的滤波版本 从给定位置以单位增益散射的信号， 来自其他方向的反向散射信号。波束形成器焦点位置为 扫描以生成作为位置的函数的散射信号能量的图。 自适应检测方法基于期望的 如果病变实际上位于 候选人位置这两种技术都将结合频率依赖性 传播和散射效应，并最佳地区分伪影 和噪音。将导出解剖学上真实的数字乳房体模 常规高分辨率三维核磁共振乳房扫描原型仪器 将由商用矢量网络分析仪和 超宽带天线被重新定位以创建合成阵列。的 物理乳房体模将由异质实体组织模拟物组成 塑造成自然扁平的乳房形状。离体成像 实验将在六个不同病人的组织样本上进行 从复位手术中获得。提出的超宽带STMI方法 提供了无痛非电离乳腺癌筛查的潜力 能够降低假阴性和假阳性率的技术 与传统的X射线乳房X光摄影术相关，特别是对于具有挑战性的 涉及X线致密乳腺或胸壁附近肿瘤的病例，或 在腋窝附近

Description (Provided by Applicant): The objective of the proposed research is to demonstrate the feasibility of an ultrawideband space-time microwave imaging (STMI) method for early-stage breast cancer detection. The outcome of the proposed work will be 1) the development of robust STM about signal processing algorithms for detection and imaging of malignant lesions, 2) STMI performance evaluation using realistic numerical breast phantoms, 3) realistic physical breast phantoms and a first generation STMI hardware prototype, and 4) experimental STMI performance evaluation using physical phantoms and ex vivo human breast tissue imaging scenarios. Two classes of STMI algorithms will be considered: beamforming and adaptive detection. The beamformer combines filtered versions of the backscattered signals at an antenna array to pass signals scattered from a given location with unit gain while attenuating backscattered signals from other directions. The beamformer focus location is scanned to generate a map of scattered signal energy as a function of position. Adaptive detection methods form a test statistic based on the expected space-time pattern that would result if a lesion were actually located at the candidate location. Both techniques will incorporate frequency-dependent propagation and scattering effects and optimally discriminate against artifacts and noise. Anatomically realistic numerical breast phantoms will be derived from routine high resolution 3-D MRI breast scans. The prototype instrument will be constructed from a commercial vector network analyzer and an ultrawideband antenna that is repositioned to create a synthetic array. The physical breast phantom will consist of heterogeneous solid tissue simulants molded into the shape of a naturally flattened breast. Ex vivo imaging experiments will be conducted on six different patients' tissue samples obtained from reduction surgeries. The proposed ultrawideband STMI approach offers the potential of a pain-free non-ionizing breast cancer screening technology capable of reducing the rate of false negatives and false positives associated with conventional X-ray mammography, especially for challenging cases involving radiographically dense breasts or tumors near the chest wall or near the axilla.