Calculations of heating patterns of an array of microwave interstitial antennas

The heating (temperature) distribution patterns of an array of uniformly and step-insulated interstitial antennas located in inhomogeneous tissue and cancerous regions of the human body are calculated. Specifically, the bioheat equation, which takes into account various heat exchange mechanisms such as blood flow rate, heat conduction, and metabolic heat generation, is solved using the finite difference method, and the specific absorption rate in tissue heated using an array of interstitial antennas is determined using the finite-difference-time-domain method. Numerical results that validate the computer program are presented, and the effect of varying parameters such as the blood-flow rate on the resulting heating rate and patterns is examined. Possible clinical implementation of the temperature-distribution-EM-power-deposition-pattern computer code in treatment planning is described.