Description:

The major aim of these lectures is to explain to students the present and probable future possibilities of microwave medical applications. Biological thermal and non-thermal effects of electromagnetic field as well as safety limits are discussed. Microwave thermotherapy applied to cancer and other diseases is described. Details of microwave thermotherapy apparatus are given, especially from the point of view of applicators for local, intracavitary and regional treatment.

Contents:

1. Radiofrequency and microwave applications in medicine.
2. Electrical Parameters of Biological Tissues and Related Measurement Methods.
3. Propagation of Electromagnetic Fields in Biological Tissues - FDTD.
4. Radiofrequency and microwave hyperthermia and ablation: working principles, clinical results, and technical equipment.
5. EM imaging- overview (radiometer, microwave tomography, electrical impedance tomography).
6. Heat Transfer in Biological Tissues. Capacitive, rectangular waveguide, planar, MTM, evanescent mode, intracavitary and interstitial applicators.
7. Treatment planning in microwave hyperthermia.

Seminar contents:

1. Introduction to exercises and safety in laboratory. Verification of applicator properties - measurement of reflection coefficient and temperature distribution in the phantom of biological tissue.
2. Measurement of dielectric properties of biological tissue phantoms.
3. 1D numerical simulator of propagation of planar wave in biological tissue - implementation in MATLAB.
4. Measurement of dielectric properties of biological tissue phantoms.
5. Differential microwave imaging for temperature monitoring as well as for brain stroke detection.
6. Microwave ablation - experiment and modeling.
7. Treatment planning in full-wave EM simulation tools using patient specific numerical model. Assessments.

Recommended literature:

[1] Int. Journal of Hyperthermia

[2] D. M. Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 3rd ed. Wiley John + Sons, 2004.

[3] R. F. Harrington, Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields. McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961.

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar