Dual-mode antenna array for microwave heating and noninvasive thermometry of superficial tissue disease

Hyperthermia therapy of superficial skin disease has proven clinically useful, but current heating equipment is clumsy and technically inadequate for many patients. The present effort describes a dual purpose multielement conformal array microwave applicator that is fabricated from flexible printed circuit board (PCB) material to facilitate heating of large surface areas overlying contoured anatomy. Preliminary studies document the feasibility of combining concentric spiral microstrip antennas within multilayer PCB material in order to achieve tissue heating simultaneously with non-invasive thermometry by radiometric sensing of blackbody radiation from the target tissue under the applicator. Results demonstrate that superficial tissue regions may be heated uniformly above 50% of SARmax out to the periphery of 915 MHz conformal array applicators made from arrays of Dual Concentric Conductor apertures. Finally the data clearly demonstrate that separate complimentary antenna structures may be combined together in thin and lightweight conformal arrays to provide heating simultaneously with microwave radiometry based temperature monitoring of superficial tissue.