A three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic torso scanner system is presented. This system aims at providing a complimentary/auxiliary imaging modality to supplement conventional imaging devices, e.g., ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for pathologies in the chest and upper abdomen such as pulmonary abscess, fatty liver disease and renal cancer. The system is comprised of an array of 14 resonance-based reflector (RBR) antennas that operate from 0.83 to 1.9 GHz and are located on a movable flange. The system is able to scan different regions of the chest and upper abdomen by mechanically moving the antenna array to different positions along the long axis of the thorax with an accuracy of about 1 mm at each step. To verify the capability of the system, a three-dimensional imaging algorithm is proposed. This algorithm utilizes a fast frequency-based microwave imaging method in conjunction with a slice interpolation technique to generate three-dimensional images. To validate the system, pulmonary abscess was simulated within an artificial torso phantom. This was achieved by injecting an arbitrary amount of fluid (e.g., 30 mL of water), into the lungs regions of the torso phantom. The system could reliably and reproducibly determine the location and volume of the embedded target.
Keywords: electromagnetic imaging; thoracic diseases; three-dimensional torso scanning.