Abstract
The impedivity of six groups of breast tissue is measured between 0.488 kHz and 1 MHz using a hand-held probe, ensuring a constant geometry factor, and a microcomputer-controlled impedance spectroscopy system. 120 spectra are collected in excised tissue samples from 64 patients undergoing breast surgery. Each spectrum consists of 12 frequency points. The mean m, the standard deviation s, and the ‘reduced standard error’ (ε=s/(m N)) of the magnitude and the phase angle of the impedivity are calculated at each frequency for all groups of tissues. The variability at low frequency (f<10 kHz) is attributed to the dispersion in measurement errors. This contributed to the choice of 32 kHz as the lower limit of measurement frequency in the constructed electrical impedance tomograph. The collected data also show that frequencies larger than 1 MHz are needed for the bio-electrical characterisation of breast tissue. In the frequency range used in electrical impedance tomography the reduced standard error of impedivity in breast tissue is about 0.1 or less. The lowest dispersions are observed in the adipose tissue, carcinoma and fibro-adenoma.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fricke, H., andMorse, S. (1926): ‘The electric capacity of tumors of the breast’,J. Cancer Res.,10, pp. 340–376
Gersing, E. (1994): ‘The appearance of positive phase angles in impedance measurements on extended biological objects’, Proc. CAIT Workshop on Electrode-skin interface in Electrical Impedance Tomography, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland,Innov. Techn. Biol. Méd.,16, (2), pp. 71–76
Jossinet, J., Lobel, A., Michoudet, C., andSchmitt, M. (1985): ‘A quantitative technique for bio-electrical spectroscopy’,J. Biomed. Eng.,7, pp. 289–294
Jossinet, J., Trillaud, C., Risacher, F., andMcAdams, E. T. (1993): ‘A high frequency electrical impedance tomograph using distributed parallel input channels’,Med. Progr. Technol.,19, pp. 167–172
Morimoto, T., Kimura, S. et al. (1993): ‘A study of the electrical bio-impedance of tumors’,J. Investig. Surg.,6, pp. 25–32
Pethig, R. (1984): ‘Dielectric properties of biological materials: Biophysical and medical applications’,IEEE Trans.,EI-19, pp. 453–474
Surowiec, A. J., Stuchly, S. S., Barr, J. R., andSwarup, A. (1988): ‘Dielectric properties of breast carcinoma and the surrounding tissues’,IEEE Trans.,BME-35, pp. 257–263
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jossinet, J. Variability of impedivity in normal and pathological breast tissue. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 34, 346–350 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02520002
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02520002