Real-time 3D microwave tomography of brain stroke status using low-computing demand

This paper approaches the medical problem of the after-onset monitoring of a brain stroke via a real-time linear imaging algorithm and a low-complexity microwave scanner. This procedure allows using low computing requirements for tracking physical pathology changes, such as stroke shape evolution and he partial typology variation of the infarcted zones, both significant medical issues. The system consists of a 22-antenna device, and the imaging algorithm uses a differential single-frequency approach. It exploits a pair of measured scattering matrices taken at two different instants, the Born approximation, and the truncated singular value decomposition, to form in-time 3D tomographic dielectric contrast variation maps in real-time using a stand-alone low-capacity device without needing a graphics processing unit. The results confirm the continuous stroke followup capabilities of the system, with the possibility to track both the shape and type transformations (hemorrhage and ischemia), even in mimicked complex clinical scenarios.