Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2012 Jan;59(1):263-71. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2011.2172441. Epub 2011 Oct 18.
We present a new way to securely mount a medical microwave antenna onto the human body for improved in vivo temperature measurements by microwave radiometry. A low cost and simple vacuum pressure source is used to provide suction (negative pressure) on the aperture of an elliptical antenna with vacuum chamber cavity backing. The concept offers improved electromechanical coupling between the antenna surface and the skin of the body. The proposed solution is evaluated experimentally to test repeatability of radiometric temperature measurements by remounting the antenna many times in one sequence on a given anatomical location. Four representative locations (hand, belly, hip, and chest) were used to test the suction antenna concept against anatomical curvature and load variations. Statistical analysis shows a marked decrease in the standard deviation of measured temperatures with the use of suction compared to conventional manual fixation. At repeated measurements, the vacuum antenna produces less uncertainty and improved estimate of the true lossy load temperature. During body movement, the antenna mounted at bone-filled areas shows greatest potential for improved performance.
我们提出了一种新的方法，可将医用微波天线安全地安装到人体上，通过微波辐射计来提高体内温度测量的准确性。我们使用低成本、简单的真空压力源，通过带有真空腔的椭圆形天线的孔来提供吸力（负压）。该概念提供了天线表面和人体皮肤之间更好的机电耦合。我们通过在给定解剖位置的一个序列中多次重新安装天线来对该方案进行了实验评估，以测试辐射测量温度的可重复性。我们选择了四个有代表性的位置（手、腹部、臀部和胸部），对吸力天线的概念进行了测试，以检验其对解剖曲率和负载变化的适应性。统计分析表明，与传统的手动固定相比，使用吸力时测量温度的标准偏差明显降低。在重复测量中，真空天线产生的不确定性更小，并且可以更好地估计真实的有损负载温度。在人体运动过程中，安装在充满骨骼的区域的天线显示出了最大的性能提升潜力。
