A PROBE FOR A MICROWAVE APPARATUS FOR CLINICAL AND SURGICAL TREATMENT

摘要

A probe for a microwave apparatus for clinical and surgical treatment of tissue in vivo, especially intra-uterine treatment of the endometrium by means of hyperthermia, is supplied with microwave energy from a microwave generator provided in the microwave apparatus via a coaxial cable. The coaxial cable is terminated in such a manner that it acts as a microwave radiator (A) in the form of an exposed section of the end of the inner conductor of the coaxial cable (4) and a ground plane (GP) provided behind the exposed section (A) of the inner conductor. The ground plane (GP) thereby constitutes the transition between the microwave radiator (A) and the coaxial cable (4), the length of the ground plane (GP) being greater than the length of the microwave radiator (A). This means that the probe acquires an approximately isotropic, symmetrical radiation characteristic without backwardly-directed radiation lobes, which in turn means that its positioning in the uterus is not critical and eliminates the risk of damage to tissue which is not intended for treatment. This makes the probe especially suitable for sterilization of women under primitive conditions.