Patent ID: 9415234
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: A61N

Claim Text:
1. A method of increasing the accuracy of tissue heating in a body when using a phased array hyperthermia system for heating tissue to be heat treated in the body, wherein the phased array hyperthermia system includes a plurality of antennas for applying electromagnetic energy to the tissue, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas has an antenna electromagnetic energy feed point, wherein the phased array hyperthermia system includes a plurality of separate channels, each channel of the plurality of separate channels having an output providing output power to at least one of the plurality of antenna by means of a transmission line of known length extending between the channel output and the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoint of the at least one antenna of the plurality of antennas, and a detector for detecting a forward power, a forward power phase, a reflected power, and a reflected power phase at each channel output, comprising: using a program for predicting at least one of a Specific Absorption Rate and a temperature distribution within the tissue of the body based upon selected E-field values at each of the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoints, predicting a heating pattern produced in the tissue by the phased array hyperthermia system based upon a selected E-field value at each of the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoints to provide a desired heat treatment to the tissue to be treated; determining an actual complete EM field at each of the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoints during treatment operation of the phased array hyperthermia system by calculating the actual complete EM field at the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoint of a respective antenna of the plurality of antennas from the detected forward power, the detected forward power phase, the detected reflected power, and the detected reflected power phase at the channel output connected to the respective antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoint with the transmission line of known length; providing the determined actual complete EM field at each of the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoints to the program to be used in providing each antenna's selected E-field value used for predicting the heating pattern in the tissue; and adjusting operating controls of the phased array hyperthermia system to adjust the determined actual complete EM field at each of the antenna electromagnetic energy feedpoints to provide a desired patient treatment based upon the predicted heating pattern produced by the program in response to the selected E-field values based upon input to the program of the determined actual complete EM field at each antenna feedpoint.