Comparison of coaxial open-ended probe based dielectric measurements on ex-vivo thermally ablated liver tissue

Abstract

This paper compares an in-house dielectric properties measurement system based on the "Stuchly and Stuchly" method with the broadly commercialised Keysight setup and existing literature for the characterization of ablated and non-ablated liver tissue. Measurements were carried out on ex-vivo ovine liver tissue across the frequency range 0.5 - 4.5 GHz. Results show that the in-house "Stuchly & Stuchly" method using calibration standards such as deionised water, methanol and open-circuit conditions, offers comparable performance to the proprietary Keysight system. Moreover, results are also comparable to measurements at 2.45 GHz documented in the literature. Being the in-house system suitable for portable setups as reported in the literature, this study shows that measurement of dielectric properties of tissue can be performed even during the thermal ablation procedure.