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Microwave‐induced thermoacoustic tomography through an adult human skull
Author(s) -
Yan An,
Lin Li,
Liu Changjun,
Shi Junhui,
Na Shuai,
Wang Lihong V.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1002/mp.13439
Subject(s) - imaging phantom , skull , in vivo , human head , human skull , specific absorption rate , ultrasound , ex vivo , biomedical engineering , materials science , trunk , anatomy , medicine , nuclear medicine , absorption (acoustics) , optics , physics , radiology , biology , antenna (radio) , computer science , telecommunications , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology
Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility of microwave‐induced thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) of adult human brain. Methods We analyzed the electric field distribution radiated from an antenna to acquire homogeneous illumination. We first imaged the anatomical structures in a rat's trunk to validate the thermoacoustic contrast in vivo . We then imaged an agar cylinder through an adult human skull ex vivo to demonstrate transcranial penetration of both microwave and ultrasound. We also analyzed the specific absorption rate to show the conformance to the safety standard for human electromagnetic exposure. Results We successfully acquired cross‐sectional images of the rat's trunk in vivo . Major blood vessels and organs are clearly visible. The transcranial image shows that TAT can image through the adult human skull and reveal an agar enclosed by the skull. Conclusions Microwave‐induced TAT of a rat's trunk in vivo and an agar phantom through an adult human skull ex vivo has been demonstrated experimentally. This study demonstrates both the TAT contrasts in vivo and the capability of transcranial imaging, showing potential of TAT for adult human brain imaging with high contrast and penetration.