A Low Cost and Portable Microwave Imaging System for Breast Tumor Detection Using UWB Directional Antenna array

Abstract

Globally, breast cancer is a major reason for female mortality. Due to the limitations of current clinical imaging, the researchers are encouraged to explore alternative and complementary tools to available techniques to detect the breast tumor in an earlier stage. This article outlines a new, portable, and low-cost microwave imaging (MWI) system using an iterative enhancing technique for breast imaging. A compact side slotted tapered slot antenna is designed for microwave imaging. The radiating fins of tapered slot antenna are modified by etching nine rectangular side slots. The irregular slots on the radiating fins enhance the electrical length as well as produce strong directive radiation due to the suppression of induced surface currents that radiate vertically at the outer edges of the radiating arms with end-fire direction. It has remarkable effects on efficiency and gain. With the addition of slots, the side-lobe levels are reduced, the gain of the main-lobe is increased and corrects the squint effects simultaneously, thus improving the characteristics of the radiation. For experimental validation, a heterogeneous breast phantom was developed that contains dielectric properties identical to real breast tissues with the inclusion of tumors. An alternative PC controlled and microcontroller-based mechanical MWI system is designed and developed to collect the antenna scattering signal. The radiated backscattered signals from the targeted area of the human body are analyzed to reveal the changes in dielectric properties in tissues. The dielectric constants of tumorous cells are higher than that of normal tissues due to their higher water content. The remarkable deviation of the scattered field is processed by using newly proposed Iteratively Corrected Delay and Sum (IC-DAS) algorithm and the reconstruction of the image of the phantom interior is done. The developed UWB (Ultra-Wideband) antenna based MWI has been able to perform the detection of tumorous cells in breast phantom that can pave the way to saving lives.

An Overview of Microwave Imaging for Breast Tumor Detection

“…In 2019, Islam et al developed a portable breast imaging unit comprising nine side-slotted tapered slot antennas as seen in Fig. 4(a) [111]. The Iteratively Corrected Delay Multiply and Sum (IC-DAS) algorithm played a decisive role in the reconstruction [112].…”

Multi-stage feature selection (MSFS) algorithm for UWB-based early breast cancer size prediction

“…Table 1 shows the dielectric properties of breast phantom and tumor used in this research, mimicking the dielectric properties of real human breast. The experimental setup used in this work is similar to the approach used in works discussed in [ 25 ] and [ 26 ]. Such setup has shown that certain type of containers are still being used to hold the breast phantom during the measurement.…”

Early Brain Stroke Detection Using Flexible Monopole Antenna

“…In real time field conditions, an antenna array will be set around the head, and reflected signals will be collated and processed by digital signal processing algorithms. The collated signals can then be visualized as a 2D image using digital image processing algorithms [23,24]. This antenna might be a basis for a futuristic diagnostic tool for point-of-care stroke detection by the first responders.…”