Heating Effects of Pulsed and Continuous Microwaves: A pilot examination
- Author:
Tsuguo YOSHIDA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
physical therapy;
pulsed microwaves;
continuous microwaves;
heating effect;
diathermy
- From:The Journal of The Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine
2004;67(4):237-243
- CountryJapan
- Language:English
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Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether pulsed microwaves are as effective as continuous microwaves in heating an agar phantom. The power used was 40W for the continuous microwave treatment and 200W with a duty cycle of 20% for the pulsed microwave. In both cases the distance between the antenna and the phantom was 3cm and an irradiation time of 15 minutes was used. The phantom, consisting of cylindrically shaped agar, was irradiated 10 times for each experiment. A fiberoptic thermometer measured temperature in the phantom at depths of 1cm, 2cm, and 3cm, and on the surface. Both modes demonstrated a similar degree of decreasing heating intensity with increasing depth, and no statistically significant differences at each depth. The ratio of the temperature increase at each depth to the temperature increase on the surface was calculated. The ratios at each depth showed no statistically significant differences between modes. It appears, therefore, that pulsed microwaves have the same heat distribution pattern as continuous microwaves and that pulsed microwaves are as useful as continuous microwaves in heating a phantom.
