Electromagnetic measurement and modeling techniques for microwave ablation probes

Broadband scattering parameter measurement of a commercially available microwave ablation probe over the course of a 10 minute 45 Watt ablation cycle within ex-vivo bovine liver tissue is performed. Measurement results are compared to finite difference time domain simulation of the probe in non-ablated and fully ablated tissue geometries. Measurement and simulation results agree well from 0-3 GHz demonstrating the accuracy of a multi-compartmental ablation geometry modeling technique. The electromagnetic modeling technique presented in this paper introduces a useful design tool for optimizing microwave ablation probes without the need for multi-physics simulation packages. The relevance of tissue complex permittivity change with temperature to microwave ablation probe performance is discussed.