AN APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING THE BREAST SKIN AND CHEST WALL REGION DURING TREATMENT OF CANCEROUS OR BENIGN CONDITIONS OF THE BREAST BY SELECTIVE IRRADIATION OF THE BREAST TISSUE WITH FOCUSED MICROWAVE ENERGY USING BREAST COMPRESSION PADDLES AND MICROWAVE APPLICATORS.

摘要

AN APPARATUS THAT INCREASES SAFETY WHEN EMPLOYING FOCUSED ADAPTIVE PHASED ARRAY MICROWAVE THERMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT INCLUDES MICROWAVE ABSORBING PADS (610) ATTACHED ON THE TOP OF THE MICROWAVE WAVEGUIDE THERMOTHERAPY APPLICATORS (100) AND ON TOP OF THE BREAST COMPRESSION PADDLES (200) AND METALLIC SHIELDING (605) TO PREVENT UNDESIRED SURFACE TISSUE HEATING AND TO CUSHION THE BREAST FROM MECHANICAL PRESSURE DURING BREAST COMPRESSION. A METALLIC-SHIELDING STRIP (605) MOUNTED ACROSS THE TOP PORTION OF THE MICROWAVE APPLICATOR APERTURE (600) ACTS TO BLOCK MICROWAVE RADIATION FROM ILLUMINATING THE BASE OF THE BREAST AND CHEST WALL AREA. A PATIENT TREATMENT TABLE (210, FIG. 6) UTILIZES A METALLIC SHIELD TO SHIELD THE BODY FROM STRAY MICROWAVE RADIATION. COMBINED E-FIELD AND TEMPERATURE SENSORS (175,410) WITHIN A SINGLE CATHETER ARE USED TO REQUIRE ONLY A SINGLE MINIMALLY INVASIVE SKIN ENTRY POINT FOR E-FIELD FOCUSING AND MEASUREMENT OF THE TUMOR TEMPERATURE.