Boundary information based diagnostics on the thermal states of biologicalbodies

Quantitative diagnostics on the thermal states of biological bodies and opt imal dosimetry in tumor hyperthermia require general solutions for the bioh eat equation. An algorithm based on the dual reciprocity boundary element m ethod (DRBEM) is developed to solve the integral inverse or direct bioheat transfer problems. Using this algorithm, thermal states of the biological b odies, reflecting physiological conditions, can be correlated to the temper ature or heat flux detected at the skin surface. The extension of the algor ithm to the non-linear bioheat model and boundary conditions is also discus sed. Various cases are studied to illustrate its applications. This algorit hm can be used as an effective tool for thermal diagnostics in medical prac tices. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.