Design of an Interstitial Microwave Applicator for 3D Printing Antennas in the Body

3D printing in the body is an emerging technology with a host of biomedical applications, including wireless telemetry. An EM heating applicator can be used to "print" structures in the body using a biocompatible polymer material. This paper evaluates an applicator that could be used to produce focused heating for this purpose. This applicator is a sleeved-slot antenna operating at 2450 MHz. Simulations in brain tissue showed the applicator was capable of heating 3.3°C in 3 s.