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校准，低成本手持式数字微波辐射计的开发和评估，该辐射计可以通过与人体简单接触来非侵入性测量地下温度，以检测和定位地下炎症。除了作为接触式温度计用于核心温度测量外，该辐射计的应用前景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，评估血管不足和关节炎等炎症性疾病，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元件来实现，包括最近可用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，该集成电路大大降低了将温度产生的噪声放大到足够检测水平所需的增益。利用微波场效应晶体管设计了一种新型低损耗谐振开关，简化了数字校准过程，避免了现有小型开关的噪声和损耗。在以前的机柜安装式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中，该辐射计将在专门开发的组织等效3d模型中进行测试，该模型能够模拟临床感兴趣的地下温度曲线，结果将用于确定适合实验室测试的原型仪器的设计，从而导致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，手持式数字微波辐射计将方便、快速、无创地测量地下温度。由于能够估计温度-深度关系，辐射计将提供定位感染和病变的新方法。治疗的有效性可以通过药物或程序监测内部温度的变化来量化。

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.