Method and apparatus for non-contacting identification of the temperature distribution in an examination subject

An apparatus for non-contacting identification of a three-dimensional temperature distribution in a patient subject comprising:

• means for subjecting said patient to microwave radiation having a phase and amplitude from a microwave source microwave radiation;
• means for detecting the three-dimensional phase and amplitude values of microwave radiation from said microwave source attenuated by said patient;
• means for computing the three-dimensional dielectric constant distribution in said patient from the three-dimensional phase and amplitude values detected by said means for detecting;
• means for computing the characteristic thermal radiation of a selected location of said patient from selected ones of the phase and amplitude values detected by said means for detecting;
• and
• means for computing the three-dimensional dielectric distribution of said patient from said three-dimensional characteristic thermal radiation of a selected location of said patient.