ABSTRACT

Medical imaging techniques are commonly used for clinical purposes to create images of the human body and to reveal, diagnose, or examine diseases. Conventionally, waves at both extrema of the frequency spectrum are used, such as ultrasound waves and x-rays. However, recent research efforts have pointed out how the microwave radiation can constitute a valuable medium for imaging the human body, as the electromagnetic (EM) properties of various human tissues differ from each other. Microwaves are sensitive to mismatches in the EM parameters of the materials since their propagation is altered by them. As a consequence, by monitoring the reflection (or the transmission) of the waves, one can detect the EM properties and create an image of the volume that is being illuminated.