click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
CH-9 X-Ray Emission
Half-Value Layer (HVL) | The thickness of absorber or homogenous filter that will reduce an X-ray beam to half its original value or intensity |
Kinetic Energy | Energy of motion |
Quality (X-ray) | - The penetrability or penetrating power of an X-ray beam - X-rays with high penetrability are termed high-quality or hard X-rays, and those with low penetrability are of low quality and are called soft X-rays. |
Energy And Beam Quality | As the energy of an X-ray beam is increased, the penetrability or quality of the X-ray beam is also increased |
Kilovoltage | - As kVp is increased, so is X-ray beam quality as well as the half-value layer. - Increased X-ray beam quality results in a more penetrating X-ray beam -kVp is the primary control of x-ray beam quality and therefore beam penetrability. |
High kVp = lower subject contrast | Long scale contrast (less difference between areas receiving varying amounts of radiation) |
Low kVp = high subject contrast | Short scale contrast (more black |
white; more difference between areas receiving varying amounts of radiation) increases patient dose | |
Filtration | Also expressed in terms of half-value layer As filtration is increased, beam quality increases but quantity decreases |
Primary purpose of Flitration | To selectively remove low-energy X-rays that have no chance of getting to the film Causes the X-ray beam to have nearly the same energy or be mono-energetic |
Materials used as X-ray filter | |
Advantages of a FilterResults in X-ray beam with | Results in X-ray beam with higher energy Greater penetrability Higher beam quality Increased in half-value layer |
Inherent Filtration | Filtration that is a result of the composition of the tube and housing |
Added Filtration | Placed between the protective tube housing and the external housing or collimator\ Has two sources that totals 2 and 3mm sheets of aluminum equivalent |
Compensating filter | • filters are used to compensate for differences in subject radiopacity used to even out widely differing tissue densities |
wedge filter | used to radiograph body parts that varies considerably, such as |
Trough filter | bilateral wedge filter) used mainly for chest radiography |
Bow-tie-shaped filters | used in some CT scanners to compensate for the shaped of the head or body |
• Cone filters | concave or convex shaped, and find application in digital fluoroscopy, where image intensifier tube and receptor are round |
Step-wedge filter | Used in some special procedures, where long sections of the anatomy are radiographed with two or three separate films. Used in rapid film changers for translumbar and femoral arteriography and venography. |
Aperture diaphragm | Flat sheet of metal, usually lead with a hole cut in the center and attached to the x-ray tube port. |
Change in mA | A change in mA or mAs means a change in the amplitude or quantity (exposure rate) of the X-ray emission spectrum at all energies No effect on beam quality (penetrating capability) |
Increased kVp | means higher energy X-rays Shorter wavelengths and higher frequency |
Increased kVp means | increased X-ray beam quality or penetrating capability, hence less patient absorption |
Target Material | Increasing target atomic number enhances the efficiency of x-ray production and the energy of characteristic and bremsstrahlung x-rays |
Gray scale of contrast | refers to the range of OD's from the whitest to the blackest part of the radiograph |
high contrast | short scale low kVp |
low contrast | long scale high kVp |
kVp | Controlling factor of contrast Change of approximately 4% in kVp is required to usually affect the scale of contrast in the 50 to 90 kVp range |
15% rule | • used to change scale of contrast from long to short or vice versa. • change the kVp by 15 % while changing the mAs by one half or double to produce the same OD |
5% rule | • a smaller technique compensation for a change in contrast scale • an increase of 5% in kVp may be accompanied by a 30% reduction in mAs to produce the same OD |
mAs | although mAs affects x-ray quantity, it still influences contrast if the mAs is too high or too low, the predominant OD will fall on the shoulder or toe of the characteristic curve |
Intensifying screens | results in shorter scale of contrast compared with non-screen |
Collimation | removes some scatter radiation producing radiographs of shorter scale of contrast |
Anti-scatter grids | also reduces scatter |
Radiographic Detail | the sharpness of appearance of small structures the sharpness of image detail refers to the structural lines or borders of tissues in the image and the amount of blur |
Penumbra | is the imperfect, unsharp shadow surrounding the distinctly sharp are of a shadow called the umbra |
As the FS size decreases | the penumbra decreases, thus increasing resolution |
Source Image Distance (SID) | Resolution is improved when SID increases and degraded when it decreases |
Object Image Distance (OID) | The minimum OID should be used to improve detail Minimum OID is obtained with non-Bucky procedures that place part directly on the cassette |
collimation | reduces scatter that degrades radiographic image |
grids | reduces scatter |
Types of motion | • voluntary - motion under the direct control of the patient • involuntary - not under the conscious control of the patient equipment motion - reciprocating grids can cause vibrations of the cassette, overhead tube suspension system can drift |
Methods of reducing motion | Communication Exposure time reduction Immobilization |
SID | • the greater the SID, the smaller the magnification • 40" (100cm) is the current routine SID |
OID | • critical distance in both magnification and resolution • OID must be minimized to decrease magnification |
Calculating size distortion | • magnification or size distortion can be assessed by calculation of the magnification factor • M = SID/SOD where M = magnification factor |
Shape distortion | The misrepresentation by unequal magnification of the actual shape of the structure being examined |
elongation | the anatomical part appears bigger than normal. Due to poor alignment of the IR or the x-ray tube |
foreshortening | the anatomical part appears smaller than normal due to poor alignment of the anatomical part • changes in the tube angle cause elongation but never foreshortening |
What term refers to the removal of low-energy x-rays from the useful beam? | Filtration |
What term refers to the thickness of the absorber needed to cut the original intensity of an x-ray beam to half its original value or intensity? | Half-value layer |
Increased x-ray beam quality results in what type of x-ray beam? | More penetrating x-ray beam |
What is the main controlling factor of x-ray beam quality? | kVp |
What is used to selectively remove low-energy x-rays from the x-ray beam? | Filters |
What is the main controlling factor of x-ray beam quantity? | mAs |
Filtration | Removal of low-energy X-rays from the useful beam with aluminum or other metal |