2018 2nd Int. Conf.

on Innovations in Science, Engineering and Technology (ICISET)

27-28 October 2018, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Computational analysis of Microwave Imaging

(MWI) System for Post Stroke Screening Using
Unidirectional Antenna
Tahsina Islam
Dept. of CSE
International Islamic University
Chittagong
Kumira, Chittagong-4318, Bangladesh
tahsinaislam385@gmail.com
Tanveer Ahsan
Dept. of CSE
International Islamic University
Chittagong
Kumira, Chittagong-4318, Bangladesh
tanveer.ahsan@gmail.com
Md. Samsuzzaman Sobuz
Dept. of CCE
Patuakhali Science and Technology
University
Dumki, Patuakhali, Bangladesh
sobuzcse@gmail.com
Hosna Ara Begum Md. Abdur Rahman
Dept. of CSE Dept. of CSE
International Islamic University Dhaka Commerce College
Chittagong Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh
Kumira, Chittagong-4318, Bangladesh mardcc@gmail.com
hosnaara94@gmail.com
Touhidul Alam
Mohammed Shamsul Alam Dept. of CSE
Dept. of CSE International Islamic University
International Islamic University Chittagong
Chittagong Kumira, Chittagong-4318, Bangladesh
Kumira, Chittagong-4318, Bangladesh &
alam_cse@yahoo.com Centre of Advanced Electronic and
Communication Engineering (PAKET)
Mohammad Tariqul Islam Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Centre of Advanced Electronic and Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Communication Engineering (PAKET) touhid13@gmail.com
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
tariqul@ukm.edu.my

Abstract— Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability
around the whole world. Currently computed axial tomography
(CAT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron
emission tomography (PET) scan and ultrasound CAT scan,
MRI, PET scan) and ultrasound are commonly used to detect
brain stroke. However, these scan facilities are not available
outside the hospital environment due to their large and bulky
structure and beside this MRI is a very expensive diagnose
system. In this research, a microwave imaging system utilizing
unidirectional antenna is designed that uses the difference in
contrast in the electrical properties between healthy and
hemorrhaged brain tissues. Two unidirectional patch antennas
are used in MWI simulation. One is used to transmit signal and
another one is for receiving transmitted backscattered signal
from various parts of the head. A homogeneous head phantom
with the brain is placed between the transmitter and receiver
antenna. An elliptical shaped blood clot (having density of 1060
Kg/m3, thermal conductivity of 0.51 W/K/m) is considered in the
simulation system. The received backscattered signals are post-
processed to generate a 2D image.
Keywords—antenna, backscattered signal, microwave
imaging
I. INTRODUCTION
While today’s world is proceeding too fast with the help
of modern technology, then the life of human comes to sudden
death if any destructive failure occurs in human health which
is not curable within a short time. like that one of sudden but
frequent occurrence is stroke which makes the blood
circulation blocked towards the brain and as a result, the
affected life comes to an end within a twinkling of an eye. In
today’s world, one among six people lose life unexpectedly
because of stroke. 6.7 million people in 2015 lost their lives.
80% stroke [1] can be prevented if necessary steps arranged
immediately within 4.5 hours [1, 2]. currently using
technologies are x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
computed tomography (CT), ultrasound (US), and positron
emission tomography (PET) [3]. A stroke can be happening in
every 40 seconds and in every 4 minutes, the affected person
die from stroke. two leading types of stroke are ischemic
stroke and haemorrhagic stroke where causes blood clot in the
brain and haemorrhagic results because blood vessel inside the
brain get burst. Defaults of Currently available techniques
mainly are they are bulky in size and also not reachable at
remote places. Ambulances are also not designed for this kind
of emergency services.
Microwave imaging makes different effects are detecting
the damaged tissue as the normal tissues and damaged tissues
have different dielectric properties [4]. Statistics say within
2030 around 13.2 million deaths are expected as a result of the
stroke. 2D image reconstructed using a non-ionizing
microwave imaging system to detect breast cancer in [5, 6]. In
[7], an image of the phantom generated using a post-
processing confocal algorithm based on delay and sum
method detecting the location of the stroke. Antenna is a major
component of the microwave imaging and directional
radiation is highly desirable for MIS. Several antenna types of
research have been investigated to design directional antenna
[8, 9].
In this paper, a unidirectional antenna-based microwave
imaging simulation is designed and investigated antenna

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performance for MWI system. Raster scanning method is III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
utilized to scan head phantom and the backscattered signals The reflection coefficient of the proposed antenna depicts
are post-processed to generate scanning image. in Fig.2.The antenna exhibits resonance at 2.8384 GHz with
II. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY reflection coefficient value of -16.753 dB. The achieved -
10dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna is about 82 MHz
The design of the proposed unidirectional microwave (2.795 to 2.877 GHz). The peak realized gain is also
imaging antenna is shown in Fig. 1. The antenna is designed investigated, presented in Fig. 2. The peak gain of 3.2 dB is
on FR-4 (Ԑr = 4.6 and h = 1.6 mm) substrate material because shown in Fig. 2.
it’s commercially available and cheap in price. The antenna
consists of an L-slotted square patch and a square ground
plane. The antenna configuration has been presented in
different view for better understanding. Commercially
available CST microwave simulation software is used to
designed and simulated the system. The optimized design
parameters value of the antennas is described in Table 1.

Fig 2. Reflection coefficients and peak gain of the proposed

antenna.

(a)

Fig 3. Surface current distribution of the antenna at 2.83 GHz.

(b)
Fig. 1. Antenna design layout: (a) top view and (b) bottom view.

TABLE I. DESIGN PARAMETERS OF THE PROPOSED ANTENNA

Parameters Value (mm) Parameters Value (mm)
L 50 W1 40
L1 40 W2 30
L2 10 W3 15
L3 20 g 1.0
W 50 (a)

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 tissue phantom consists of skin, brain white matter, brain,
brain gray matter. The dielectric property of the materials of
tissue phantom is different. A blood clot is placed inside the
tissue phantom, which acts as stroke or blood clot. The
electrical properties of the head phantom are presented in
Table II.

TABLE II. ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF THE HEAD PHANTOM

Material Name Material properties
1st layer (Skin) Dispersive eps: Nth order model, N=3 (fit)
Mu: 1, Rho: 1100 [kg/m^3]
Thermal cond.: 0.293 [W/K/m]
Heat capacity: 3.5 [kJ/K/kg]
Diffusivity: 7.61039e-08 [m^2/s]
Blood flow: 9100 [W/K/m^3]
(b) Metabolic rate: 1620 [W/m^3]
2nd layer (brain white Dispersive eps: Nth order model, N=3 (fit)
Fig 4. (a) polar radiation pattern and (b) 3D radiation pattern at 2.83 matter) Mu: 1, Rho: 1030 [kg/m^3]
GHz. Thermal cond.: 0.502 [W/K/m]
Heat capacity: 3.6 [kJ/K/kg]
Fig. 3 shows the surface-current distribution of the antenna Diffusivity: 1.35383e-07 [m^2/s]
at 2.834 GHz. A strong current is observed in the slotted Blood flow: 17280 [W/K/m^3]
Metabolic rate: 7100 [W/m^3]
structure of the patch, which experienced the directive 3rd layer (brain) Dispersive eps: Nth order model, N=4 (fit)
radiation characteristics. The radiation pattern of the antenna Mu: 1, Rho: 1030 [kg/m^3]
remains unidirectional over the whole operating band, which Thermal cond.: 1.13 [W/K/m]
can be validated by the radiation patterns shown in Fig.4. Heat capacity: 3.675 [kJ/K/kg]
Diffusivity: 2.98527e-07 [m^2/s]
Blood flow: 40000 [W/K/m^3]
Metabolic rate: 7100 [W/m^3]
4th layer (brain gray Dispersive eps: Nth order model, N=3 (fit)
matter) Mu: 1
Rho: 1030 [kg/m^3]
Thermal cond.: 0.502 [W/K/m]
Heat capacity: 3.7 [kJ/K/kg]
Diffusivity: 1.31724e-07 [m^2/s]
Bloodflow: 40000 [W/K/m^3]
Metabolic rate: 7100 [W/m^3]

(a)

(a)

(b)
Fig.5. (a) Four layered head tissue phantom and (b) imaging setup.

The microwave imaging simulation was performed using

the designed unidirectional antenna. Fig. 5 shows the
simulation configuration of a typical microwave-imaging
(b)
system to detect brain stroke in a human head tissue phantom,
shown in Fig.5(a). A rectangular tissue phantom is placed in Fig.6. Specific absorption rate (SAR) at 2.83 GHz: (a) 1g SAR
and (b) 10g SAR.
the middle of two antennas. The distance between the head
phantom and antenna is maintained at about 50 mm. The

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 Specific absorption rate (SAR) is a very important
parameter for electromagnetic radiation measurement from
wireless system. The antenna used in the MWI system must
maintain FCC and ICNIRP guidelines [10-13]. The designed
antenna shows 1.65 W/Kg and 1.07 W/Kg for 1g and 10g of
SAR, respectively. This SAR value satisfies both guidelines.
Raster scanning method is an efficient method because of
its simplicity and ability to generate the images in real-time
[14]. The images show that the stroke simulants can be easily
detected especially at 2.83GHz. According to [14]. to obtain
the calibrated transmission S-parameter, Scal21 for any target,
Sback21 is subtracted from transmission S-parameter Smean21 so
the image is obtaining from the following equation.
| 21| = | 21| − | 21| (1)
The image is generated using a simple contour plot. Blind
deconvolution method is applied for removing blur. The
generated 2D image is illustrated in Fig. 7. The tumor is
observed at -5 to 5 position, which is well matched with the
simulation setup.
[4] H. Y. Mesri, "Localization of hemorrhage site in stroke patients
using multichannel microwave measurements," in Engineering in
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International Conference of the IEEE, 2012, pp. 5927-5930:
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based detection of abnormality in human body," Microsystem
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[6] M. Ullah, T. Alam, and M. Islam, "A 3D directive microwave
antenna for biomedical imaging application," Bulletin of the
Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences, 2018.
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IEEE.
[8] M. H. Ullah, M. T. Islam, J. Mandeep, and N. Misran, "A new
double L-shaped multiband patch antenna on a polymer resin
material substrate," Applied Physics A, vol. 110, no. 1, pp. 199-
205, 2013.
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Imaging Sensor Using Low Profile Modified Stacked Type
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absorption rate analysis using metal attachment," Informacije
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field microwave imaging based on aperture raster scanning with
TEM horn antennas," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and
Propagation, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 928-940, 2011.

Fig. 7. Microwave imaging result using raster scan.

IV. CONCLUSION
This research emphasizes on the unidirectional antenna for
microwave imaging system for brain stroke detection. An
improved directive patch antenna is presented which is
designed for proper signal penetration in head phantom. An
aperture-raster scanning setup was used to test the system
model. The detection of a blood clot inside the head tissue
model was also detected and the results were encouraging. A
blind de-convolution technique was applied to improve the
image quality. Using the proposed unidirectional radiated
antenna, an effective MWI system can be established which
can localize and find the size of the stroke.
REFERENCES
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