ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews biomedical applications that involve electromagnetic technology. It describes applications in neuromagnetic imaging and stimulation, physiological monitoring, elimination of hypothermia, thermal ablation therapy, and hyperthermia treatment of cancer. Advances in the use of electromagnetic technology for biomedical research and practice would be enhanced by a thorough understanding of biophysical interactions. A majority of imaging devices used by physicians to facilitate the diagnosis of diseases are based on sources that emit ionizing electromagnetic energy. Magnetic resonance imaging relies on the nonionizing static and radio-frequency magnetic fields and has been shown to offer a distinct advantage in a multitude of disease processes when compared to ionizing modalities. There are several other tissue imaging techniques under development that utilize electromagnetic technology. The wide range of dielectric property variations offers a potential for higher contrast and better tissue characterization.
