Millimeter-Wave Absorption by Cutaneous Blood Vessels: A Computational Study

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to calculate the specific absorption rate (SAR) and E-field distributions inside cutaneous blood vessels and in surrounding tissues (dermis and fat) depending on the frequency of millimeter wave exposure. Most calculations were performed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. A rectangular block of homogeneous or multilayer tissue with blood vessels located in the center of the block was used as the basic geometry. We found that the SAR reached its maximal value in a long blood vessel oriented parallel to the E-field. It exceeded the SAR in the surrounding dermis by 40%-42% at 42.25 GHz. However, in the same blood vessel oriented perpendicularly to the E-field, the SAR was lower than that of the surrounding dermis. Absorption of millimeter waves in a cutaneous blood vessel was higher at 61.22 GHz than at 42.25 GHz. The SAR distribution in a blood vessel was nearly uniform. Because of the small sizes of cutaneous blood vessels relative to the wavelength, the SAR distributions in these blood vessels can be calculated by using quasi-static theory.