Microwave Imaging Using Synthetic Radar Scheme Processing for the Detection of Breast Tumors

Microwave imaging of the human breast for detection of possible tumors is studied by applying the method of synthetic radar imaging using both simulation and theoretical results. The breast is modeled as a homogeneous medium having complex dielectric constant, while the tumor is modeled as a small spherical inhomogeneity. A flexible bow-tie antenna excited by a narrow-band pulse illuminates the breast and the reflected field is monitored as the antenna takes a number of discrete positions along the breast surface. The collected data is processed in a synthetic radar scheme to image the interior of the breast. Simulation results for tumor response are obtained and compared with theoretically obtained results. It is shown that a tumor of few millimeter radius, between 3 to 7 mm, can be detected and located with reasonable resolution. It is found that the tumor response increases with the tumor size at a given frequency band in an oscillatory fashion.