Evaluation of the performance of designed coaxial antennas for hyperthermia using simulation and experimental methods

Abstract Introduction: Antenna geometries and tissue properties affect microwave energy distributions during microwave ablation procedures. There is paucity information on the potential of antenna fabricated from a thick semi-rigid coaxial cable in the field of microwave thermal therapy. This study aimed at comparing the performance of two dual-slot antennas designed from different semi-rigid coaxial cables for the ablation of a liver tumour using numerical simulation and experimental validation methods. Materials and Methods: COMSOL Multiphysics software was used for designing dual-slot antennas and as well as to evaluate microwave energy deposition and heat distribution in the liver tissue. Experimental validations were conducted on the ex-vivo bovine livers to validate the simulation results. Results: Thick antenna developed in this study produced a higher sphericity index, larger ablation diameter and reduced backward heating along the antenna shaft than the existing one. The experimental validation results also indicate significant differences between the two antennas in terms of ablation diameters (p = 0.04), ablation lengths (p = 0.02) and aspect ratios (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Based on the findings in this study, antenna fabricated from a thick coaxial cable has a higher potential of localizing microwave energy in the liver than conventional antennas.