Microwave techniques as diagnostic tool for congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the main causes of death. This paper reviews recent efforts on the design and development of a portable microwave imaging system for heart failure detection and monitoring. The system employs an antenna array integrated with a compact microwave transceiver and rapid data acquisition tool to obtain microwave images that enable the early detection of heart failure in a timely fashion. Because of its low-cost, non-ionizing, non-invasive and non-hazardous properties, it can be used frequently for monitoring, thus providing a significant advantage over conventional equipment such as X-ray or MRI. Furthermore, its portable design enables the widespread use of the technology for immediate diagnosis.