Millimeter wave 3-D breast imaging
AssigneeTufts University
InventorsMohammed N. Afsar, Liu Chao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for imaging tissue includes a millimeter wave Quasi-optical backward wave oscillator. Tumorous tissue is detected in a reconstructed image using solvable inverse image reconstruction techniques. In one embodiment, three-dimensional breast imaging is enabled by providing radiation as a focused energy beam over a wide frequency range and at power levels to penetrate breast tissue disposed within dielectric compression plates.
Claims20
A method for imaging tissue comprising:
- providing a quasi-optical millimeter wave spectrometer having millimeter wave radiation from a backward-wave oscillator (BWO);
- modulating the radiation using a ferrite modulator;
- transforming the modulated radiation into a paraxial Gaussian beam;
- compressing the tissue between a pair of dielectric compression plates;
- transmitting the paraxial Gaussian beam through the compressed tissue;
- and
- detecting tissue image amplitude and phase data as a function of frequency.
A system for imaging tissue comprising:
- a millimeter wave radiation source;
- a waveguide coupled to the radiation source;
- an isolator coupled to the waveguide;
- a modulator coupled to the isolator;
- a first antenna coupled to the modulator;
- a first focusing device coupling radiation from the first antenna to a first compression plate;
- a second compression plate aligned with the first compression plate to form an aperture configured for receiving the tissue;
- wherein the modulator comprises a ferrite modulator and the millimeter wave radiation source comprises a backward-wave oscillator (BWO);
- and
- wherein the first antenna is configured for transforming millimeter wave radiation from the millimeter wave radiation source into a Gaussian beam.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions for a method comprising:
- providing a quasi-optical millimeter wave spectrometer having a millimeter wave radiation from a backward-wave oscillator (BWO);
- modulating the radiation using a ferrite modulator;
- transforming the modulated radiation into a paraxial Gaussian beam;
- compressing tissue between a pair of dielectric compression plates;
- transmitting the paraxial Gaussian beam through the compressed tissue;
- and
- detecting tissue image amplitude and in phase data as a function of frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.