Evaluation of ring capacitor plates for regional deep heating.

Based upon a capacitive system a quasi-microwave cavity operating at a frequency of 13.56 or 27.12 MHz has been developed. The prototype consisted of two capacitive plates with a circular aperture at the centre of each plate in which a cylindrically shaped tissue volume can be placed. Phantom measurements showed that a second-generation applicator, consisting of two narrow rings with equal inner and outer diameter, gave identical results. Due to the positioning of the rings along the enclosed tissue cylinder, the electrical field is mainly parallel to the body axis. SAR distributions were measured by infrared thermography in cylindrical, muscle equivalent phantoms enclosed in PVC-tubes using the 'split phantom' technique. For phantom diameters up to 13.5 cm a homogeneous heating, SAR 70-100 per cent of the maximum SAR, has been obtained over the tissue volume between the inner edges of the two rings. For these measurements the non-isolated ring electrodes are placed directly onto the PVC cover. When the phantom diameter, excluding PVC cover, is increased to 22.5 cm the SAR values at the centre vary from 30 to 40 per cent of the maximum SAR value which is located near the inner edge of the rings. In this case a 1 cm gap between the rings and the PVC cover was used in order to reduce the intensity of the hot spots. In all experiments no cooling of the phantom surface or ring electrodes has been used. The results from this initiating study indicate the feasibility of this type of applicator for regional deep heating, although more experimental work is needed when the applicator is used to heat tissue bodies with a diameter larger than 13.5 cm. Already, the applicator in its most simple design may be of clinical value for hyperthermic treatment of tumors in arms or legs.