Real-time Microwave Imaging of Breast Phantoms with Constrained Deconvolution of Planar Data

Recently, a real-time deconvolution-based reconstruction method has been proposed that performs successful quantitative imaging of complex tissue objects of thicknesses around 1 cm. Here, imaging of 5-cm thick phantoms is demonstrated experimentally. The microwave system aims at breast imaging using planar acquisition similar to that in mammography. An important conclusion has been reached that Rytov's approximation in the forward model, as compared to Born's approximation, may lead to superior ability to localize scatterers amidst clutter and noise. Practical aspects of the acquisition system are also discussed including the choice of the medium used as padding around the breast phantom.