Microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography has the advantage of a high spatial resolution and a deep imaging depth. This method has been extensively explored over the past decade to find an alternative of existing imaging techniques. In this study, we have developed a compact microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography (MI-TAT) with a waveguide antenna and a rotating ultrasound transducer unit. We performed a characterization study of the system in terms of pulse width, selection of microwave frequency and resolution. Then the optimized parameters were used to image in-vitro complex structure phantoms. Later, we expanded our system capability for spectroscopic study by imaging different concentrations of methanol and water to mimic the tissue properties and analyze them based on the absorption characteristics of these materials. We hope, this spectroscopic capability broadens the capability of thermoacoustic system to separate the diseased tissue from the healthy one (e.g., malignant from benign) with a high sensitivity and specificity.
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