[Legacy Report] Microwave Near-field Imaging of Human Tissue: Hopes, Challenges, Outlook

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More than 40 years ago Larsen and Jacobi experimented with microwaves in the imaging of canine kidney. Their pioneering work triggered high hopes for a new diagnostic modality in medicine but also identified serious challenges. Research effort in this area continues unabated, focused especially on early-stage breast-cancer detection. This talk briefly reviews past and recent developments in near-field microwave methods for tissue imaging. In the context of these developments, the major challenges are discussed – challenges which have so far prevented microwave imaging from becoming a clinically viable modality. Promising new directions of research are described that have the potential to bring about a breakthrough.

Natalia K. Nikolova is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Canada. She also holds a Canada Research Chair in High-frequency Electromagnetics. Her research interests include theoretical and computational electromagnetism with applications in inverse scattering, microwave imaging and computer-aided design. Prof. Nikolova has published more than 210 refereed manuscripts. She has authored 4 book chapters and has delivered many invited lectures on computer-aided microwave analysis and design as well as on microwave near-field imaging. Prof. Nikolova is a Fellow of the IEEE.

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