Finite element analysis for optimizing antenna for microwave coagulation therapy

Microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) is emerging as an attractive modality for thermal therapy of soft tissues targeted in short periods of time, making it particularly suitable for ablation of hepatic and other tumors. In this field of microwave coagulation therapy, the use of minimally invasive antenna is recognized as a very promising technique for the treatment of small tumors because a very thin antenna can be easily inserted inside the body and precisely localized using the advanced 3D imaging techniques and surgical robots. The authors investigated the microwave coaxial antenna operating at 2.45 GHz by varying the slots size for the removal of liver tumor. The analysis was done using 2D finite element modeling. By several optimization steps the antenna is simulated and optimized by comparing the values of specific absorption rate (SAR), mesh statistics and temperature distributions in tissue generated by the antenna with the variations of dimensions of slot from 1 mm to 1.7 mm