Ultrasound-guided microwave imaging of breast cancer: tissue phantom and pilot clinical experiments

Med Phys. 2005 Aug;32(8):2528-35. doi: 10.1118/1.1984349.

Abstract

Microwave imaging promises high contrast between tumor and normal breast tissues, but its spatial resolution is limited. Here, we present a multimodality approach for high-resolution microwave imaging, where microwave image reconstruction is structurally guided by ultrasound imaging. The combined imaging concept is demonstrated using tissue phantom measurements obtained from a 16 x 15 transmitter/receiver microwave imaging system and a modified B-mode ultrasound system. With the geometry of the target and background known a priori from ultrasound, successful dielectric property images are recovered using a finite element-based reconstruction algorithm. We show that a target as small as 1.2 mm in diameter can be imaged with the multimodality approach, whereas it is impossible to detect such a small-size object using microwave imaging alone. The pilot clinical studies on two cases suggest that breast tumors can be much more accurately detected by the multimodality method.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / instrumentation*
  • Image Enhancement / methods
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Microwaves*
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Biological
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Pilot Projects
  • Subtraction Technique*
  • Ultrasonography / instrumentation*
  • Ultrasonography / methods