Near-Field Resonance Microwave Sounding to Study Dielectric Properties of Different Skin Areas (Experimental Study)

The aim of the study was to assess the near-field resonance microwave sounding efficiency to study the dielectric properties of investing tissues in different body areas in healthy rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Skin dielectric properties (permittivity and conductivity) were studied in four body parts (medial and lumbar regions of the back, forehead, abdomen) of adult Wistar rats (n=30) using near-field resonance microwave sounding. For measurements, we used a special hardware and software system designed in the Federal Research Center Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. RESULTS. Dielectric properties of skin and underlying tissues significantly vary depending on a body area. The medial dorsal region was recorded to have the highest permittivity and conductivity level, while the minimum was found in the abdominal region. Frontal and caudal areas showed intermediate indices. In deepened sounding, dielectric permittivity consistently grows regardless of antenna localization (3 and 5 mm), while the conductivity recedes. CONCLUSION. Near-field resonance microwave sounding enabled to reveal dielectric properties specific for each body area (both by permittivity and conductivity indices and by deep structure of their distribution). The findings should be taken into consideration in topical diagnosis of investing tissues, particularly, when assessing the wound underlying structures, the localization of wound surface boundaries, and the condition of the areas around the wound.