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One of the main objectives of using microwaves in medical applications is to make use of the therapeutic effects resulting from the interaction between electromagnetic waves and biological tissues in order to obtain a local heating. For this purpose, a large number of devices have been designed and tested for various medical applications. In this paper, we present the results concerning the design and modeling of a new applicator using microwaves developed to produce specific subsurface heating patterns as a therapeutic modality for certain issues related to snoring. Index Terms--Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, medical applications, microwave antennas, microwave heating.

This paper describes a complete 3-D modeling, using the FDTD method, of a new generation of external applicators for microwave hyperthermia used at either 434 or 915 MHz without any modification. With this new model, it is possible to obtain the theoretical results concerning the variations of the reflection coefficient as a function of frequency, the power deposition inside the lossy tissues, and the heating patterns. The experimental electromagnetic and thermal characteristics are presented and compared to the theoretical results obtained with the 3-D method.