Feasibility of Bone Fracture Detection Using Microwave Imaging
Kesia C. Santos, Carlos A. Fernandes, Jorge R. Costa
Abstract
This paper studies the feasibility of Microwave Imaging (MWI) for detection of fractures in superficial bones like the tibia, using a simple and practical setup. First-responders could use it for fast preliminary diagnosis in emergency locations, where X-Rays are not available. It may prove valuable also for cases where X-ray are not recommended, e.g., length pregnant women or children. The method is inspired on the synthetic aperture radar technique. A single Vivaldi antenna is used to linearly scan the bone in the 8.3-11.1 GHz frequency range and collect the scattered fields. The system is operated in air, without the need for impractical impedance-matching immersion liquids. The image is reconstructed using a Kirchhoff migration algorithm. A Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) strategy is used to remove skin and background artifacts. To test this technique, a set of full-wave simulations and experiments were conducted on a multilayer phantom and on an ex-vivo animal bone. Results show that the system can detect and locate bone transverse fractures as small as 1 mm width and 13 mm deep, even when the bone is wrapped by 2 mm thick skin.