The adoption of microwave imaging as a tool for noninvasive monitoring of brain stroke has recently gained increasing attention. In this respect, the paper aims at providing a twofold contribution. First, we introduce a simple design tool to devise guidelines to properly set the working frequency as well as to choose the optimum matching medium needed to facilitate the penetration of the probing wave into the head. Second, we propose an imaging strategy based on a modified formulation of the

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... rmulation of the linear sampling method, which allows a quasi real time monitoring of the disease's evolution. The accuracy of the design guidelines and performance of the imaging strategy are assessed through numerical examples dealing with 2D anthropomorphic phantoms.