Resonant inductive applicator for neck hyperthermia

An inductive applicator especially suited for producing hyperthermia in cancerous regions in the neck was designed and phantom tested. The applicator is tuned to resonate near 27 MHz; its inductive nature provides efficient coupling to the irregular neck anatomy. An inhomogeneous neck phantom consisting of an outer fat layer and bone and air columns was constructed. The heating pattern in the phantom was relatively uniform within the cross-sectional area, indicating promise for clinical applications. The exception was the muscle area between the bone and air columns, which had much lower temperatures, attributed to low eddy current density in this area