Dual patch antenna sensor for pneumothorax diagnosis: Sensitivity and performance study

Pneumothorax may cause serious health problems and often death if medical and surgical treatment is delayed. The absence of reliable, safe, portable and easy-to-use equipment in the ambulance is the primary clinical motivation of this work. We investigate pneumothorax diagnostic performance and sensitivity of a dual patch antenna system (sensor). The operation frequency range is set to 1-4 GHz. Parametric study is conducted using simplified rectangular tissue numerical models. Variation of S₁₂ parameter, related to frequency, is compared in order to distinguish healthy and pneumothorax cases, reaching a difference of 20.1 dB, at 1.87 GHz. MRI-based anatomic models are also modified in order to simulate pneumothorax incident, in realistic clinical case. The best performance configuration scenario is applied onto the modified anatomic models, revealing satisfactory sensor performance (7.1 dB, at 2.3 GHz). Sensor diagnostic ability reaches 1 cm of air thickness. The paper concludes with proposed design specifications for thorax experimental phantom.