Figure 5.

Microwave ablation schematic. The microwave antenna is made up of an applicator shaft that has temperature monitoring to combat shaft heating. Shaft heating occurs due to the reflection of the microwave and a cooling system is installed along the shaft to prevent burning. The antenna is most often needle-shaped but can have a variety of designs including monopole, dipole, and slotted antennas. The antenna design determines the tissue heating pattern and therefore impacts the ablation zone size and shape [39,40].