Microwave Thermometry of Brain Tumors: A 2D Computational Feasibility Study

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of monitoring temperature changes in brain tumor during hyperthermia treatment using differential microwave imaging. This application can provide in-line and real-time temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatment. The target of hyperthermia treatment is a tumor located in the brain. The evolution of temperature within the tumor corresponds to changes in its dielectric properties that are then reconstructed using differential microwave imaging using Born's approximation. For this task, we have adopted two matching media, the first on being a water bolus and the second one being a standard matching medium for head microwave imaging. We analyze the transmission coefficient of microwave signal penetrating from matching medium into head and provide initial reconstructions for both matching media. For the second matching medium only, a feasibility study is performed to determine the optimal working conditions using root mean square error metrics. The best reconstructions are provided to demonstrate the potential of differential microwave imaging in pursuing the temperature monitoring task.