Feasibility study of monitoring temperature rise in muscle phantoms by the Electrical Impedance Tomography system during hyperthermia treatment.

A simulation study of monitoring temperature rises during hyperthermia treatment was conducted on an Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) system developed at the University of Washington. A 2,450 MHz microwave generator was used to induce heat on muscle phantoms. Reconstructed temperature distributions by the EIT system showed hot spots with temperature rises of 2 to 8 degrees in the phantoms. The locations of the temperature rises were verified by infrared pictures and a thermistor probe. From repeated experiments, the results consistently revealed comparable temperature rises within the area underneath the rectangular aperture of the microwave applicator. These results are encouraging, and warrant further study of using the EIT technique to monitor the temperature patterns in actual clinical hyperthermia treatment.