Medical radiometry

Medical radiometry is a perspective direction on the field of diagnosis of diseases entailing change of internal tissues temperature.
The detection of pathology is conducted by measuring of the intensity of natural electromagnetic radiation of patients internal tissues at microwave frequencies. The intensity of radiation is proportional to the temperature of tissues.
The internal tissues temperature changes because of inflammatory processes, change in blood supply or with strengthened metabolism of cells under oncologic regeneration of tissues.

Medical radiometry has a number of positive characteristics as follows:

• the early diagnosis of diseases;
  
• the possibility of non-invasive pathology detection of internal organs till appearance of
• structural changes that can be detected by X rays or ultrasonography;
  
• the absolute harmless for the patients of all age and with any diseases as well as for medical staff;
  
• the possibility to conduct the investigation repeatedly (control of treatment):
  
• the depth of anomaly detection is from 3 to 10 cm;
  
• the simplicity of the device handing, the procedure may be conducted by the secondary medical staff.
  

Field of application:
Radiothermometer can be applicable everywhere where the disease causes local hiperthermia on tissues as for example:

• Mammology
  
• Urology
  
• Gynaecology
  
• Neuropathology
  
• Due to the absolute harmless of the examination RTM - 01 can be used to objectively control the effect of medicines and physiotherapy treatments.
  

RTM - 01 radiothermometer

The distinctive feature of radiometry is an extremely low signal strength entering input of the antenna from the biological tissues. This signal strength is approximately 4*10-13 Watt. While conducting the measurement it is necessary to distinguish temperatures differing on a tenth part of degree which corresponds to signal strength to be 10-6 Watt.
Therefore the special circuits are applied for receipt, amplification and treatment of signals. These techniques are protected by the patent of Russia.
The radiometer is produced on the original scheme. It is a modulated null – radiometer with a slipping circuit of compensation the reflection between the biological object and antenna.
This provides measuring intensity of natural electromagnetic radiation of patients’ internal tissues accuracy to 0,06%.
The application of modern technology in microstrip board production as well as microwave microelectronics secure high quality, diminutiveness and reliability of the equipment.
Technology early used for military purpose apparatus have been applied in the production of radiometers.
In RTM - 01 radiometer there are no means of regulation and control which used to distract medical staff from conducting main function i. e. the investigation of patient. The device does not require calibration. Instrument tests on long and continues operation have shown that RTM - 01 radiometer keep not only differential but also an absolute accuracy measuring the internal tissues temperature.

The description of device

CLINICAL AND TECHNICAL PARAMETERS

• Depth of detection of thermal anomaly from 3 to 10 cm
  
• Applicator diameter 39 mm
  
• Time measuring of one point 5 - 15 sec.
  
• Interdepartmental correspondence with PC by protocol RS 232
  
• Accuracy of measuring the internal averaged temperature +- 0,2 C
  
• Power consumption 220 V 50 - 60 Hz, not more than 15 Bm
  
• Weight not more than 3 kg
  
  The device consists of:
  
• antenna for detection of electric magnetic radiation;
  
• extremely sensitive receiver in which amplify the signal in 30 million times and is
• transferred its spectrum in the range of low frequency;
  
• skin temperature sensor;
  
• processing unit with 3 digits indicator of the temperature;
  
• PC with the colour printer and software.

The computer data processing helps doctor to determine the diagnostics. The results of the radiometric investigation may be displayed on PC monitor or printed on printer in a form of a table, a thermogramm or a temperature field on a projection of the investigation organ with isotherm lines, the temperature field is tied to investigating points.

It is possible to use radiometer in autonomous mode, without PC. In this case gratitude of the temperature is read from the digit indicator of the processing unit. Design of the device matches international standards.
RTM - 01 has passed the State tests as a mean for medical purpose of measurement.800 patients with various diseases have been examined during the clinical tests. Full scale research in the sphere of early diagnosis of the diseases by the radiometric techniques have been begun in Slovenia within the state program frameworks.

Breast cancer detection

The set of device also includes an expert system on differential diagnosis of breast cancer. The clinical tests conducted among 400 patients in N1 City Mammological Health Centre Subsidiary have shown a high efficiency of radiometric techniques for the diagnosis of breast cancer (detection of breast cancer is above 92 %.

Each mammary gland is measured on nine points:

0 - central point
1 - upper quadrant
3 - inner quadrant
5 - lower quadrant
7 - outer quadrant
and on four points between quadrants (2,4,6,8).

The values are analysed by computer, which presents the results of examination in the form of three different diagrams:

Thermogramm: shows the difference of temperature of symmetric points of left and right MG. The difference of 0,8 °C and over means, that there can be a serious anomaly.
When all the points of one MG are generally higher than on the other, there is no suspicion on tumour, more likely inflammation.

Temperature field: The temperature of each MG is shown in colours with isotherms of 0,1 °C. Higher or lower local temperatures (manifestation of disease) are easily detected.

Diagnostics: After measuring over 1400 patients, healthy and with disease, statistic analyses were made. Six of them, the most selective, are put into diagnosis diagram. The current patient's point is the red one. A strong likelihood (more than 90 % ) of cancer is, when it appears in all six diagrams in blue area.

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