A directional interstitial antenna for microwave tissue ablation: theoretical and experimental investigation

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally invasive thermal therapy modality increasingly employed for the treatment of tumors and benign disease. For successful treatment, complete thermal coverage of the tumor and margin of surrounding healthy tissue must be achieved. Currently available interstitial antennas for MWA have cylindrically symmetric radiation patterns. Thus, when treating targets in proximity to critical structures, caution must be taken to prevent unintended thermal damage. A novel coaxial antenna design for MWA with an asymmetrical cylindrical heating pattern is presented in this paper. This radiation pattern is achieved by employing a hemicylindrical reflector, positioned a critical distance from a conventional coaxial monopole antenna. Finite element method simulations were employed to optimize the geometric dimensions of the antenna with the objective of minimizing the antenna reflection coefficient at the 2.45 GHz operating frequency, and maximizing volume of the ablation zone. Prototype antennas were fabricated and experimentally evaluated. Simulations indicated an optimal S11 of -32 dB at 2.45 GHz, in close agreement with experimental measurements of -29 dB. Ex vivo experiments were performed to validate simulations and observe effects to the antennas’ heating pattern with varying input power and geometry of the reflector. Ablation zones up to 20 mm radially were observed in the forward direction, with minimal heating (less than 4 mm) behind the reflector.