Hemispherical and cylindrical antenna arrays are widely used in radar-based and tomography-based microwave breast imaging systems. Based on the dielectric contrast between healthy and malignant tissue, a three-dimensional image could be formed to locate the tumor. However, conventional X-ray mammography as the golden standard in breast cancer screening produces two-dimensional breast images so that a comparison between the 3D microwave image and the 2D mammogram could be difficult. In this paper, we present the design and realisation of a UWB breast imaging prototype for the frequency band from 1 to 9 GHz. We present a refined system design in light of the clinical usage by means of a planar scanning and compare microwave images with those obtained by X-ray mammography. Microwave transmission measurements were processed to create a two-dimensional image of the breast that can be compared directly with a two-dimensional mammogram. Preliminary results from a patient study are presented and discussed showing the ability of the proposed system to locate the tumor.
Link to abstract:
http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/8/3/54
Reference:
Wörtge, D.; Moll, J. ; Krozer, V.; Hübner, F.; Bazrafshan, B. & Vogl, T. Comparison of X-Ray-Mammography and UWB Microwave Imaging of the Breast: First Results from a Patient Study, Diagnostics (Special Issue on ‘Electromagnetic Technologies for Medical Diagnostics’), 2018 (accepted in August 2018)
