Microwaves have been considered for medical applications involving the detection of organ movements and changes in tissue water content. More particularly cardiopulmonary interrogation via microwaves has resulted in various sensors monitoring ventricular volume change or movement, arterial wall motion, respiratory movements, pulmonary oedema, etc. In all these applications, microwave sensors perform local measurements and need to be displaced for obtaining an image reproducing the spatial variations of a given quantity. Recently, advances in the area of inverse scattering theory and microwave technology have made possible the development of microwave imaging and tomographic instruments. This paper provides a review of such equipment developed at Suplec and UPC Barcelona, within the frame of successive French-Spanish PICASSO cooperation programs. It reports the most significant results and gives some perspectives for future developments. Firstly, a brief historical survey is given. Then, both technological and numerical aspects are considered. The results of preliminary pre-clinical assessments and in-lab experiments allow to illustrate the capabilities of the existing equipment, as well as its difficulty in dealing with clinical situations. Finally, some remarks on the expected development of microwave imaging techniques for biomedical applications are given.

Peer Reviewed