Radiographic Imaging

Image Production
Terms Related to Image Production
• Primary Radiation
– Refers to the x-ray beam after it exits the x-ray tube and
before it interacts with the patient’s body
• Remnant Radiation
– The remainder of radiation after it passes through the
patient’s body.
– This is what produces the image on the radiographic film
• Secondary Scatter Radiation
– Radiation that may not be able to reach the film but does
not carry any useful information
Terms Related to Image Production
• Attenuation
– The process by which primary radiation is changed
or absorbed as it travels through the patient
• Radiolucent
– Material that allow x-ray photons to pass through
easily (air)
• Radiopaque
– Materials that do not allow x-ray photons to pass
through easily (bone)
 Film / Screen Radiography
The Imaging Chain
• Latent Image
– The image that is invisible on the radiographic film
until processing occurs
– In order to release that image the film must be
developed.
 Film / Screen Radiography
The Imaging Chain
• Radiograph
– Image that is produced by x-ray photons on a piece
of radiographic film
 Film / Screen Radiography
The Imaging Chain
• Intensifying Screens
– Thin layers of cardboard or polyester coated with
layers of luminescent phosphor crystals that are
sensitive to x-rays.
– In order to take full advantage of intensification
process, an intensifying screen was placed in the
front and back of the x-ray film.
 Film / Screen Radiography
The Imaging Chain
• Double or Duplized emulsion film
– A special film that utilizes two intensifying
screens, one in the front and one in the back of the
film to enhance the intensification process.
 Technical Exposure Factors
• Exposure Factors directly under the influence
of the radiographer
– mAs
– kVp
– SID
 mAs
• Milliampere seconds
– Controls the amount of radiation coming from the
x-ray tube and time the x-rays are being produced
– Controls the quantity or number of x-ray photons
produced
 kVp
• Kilovoltage peak or potential
– Measures the potential difference forcing the
current through the x-ray tube
– It affects the energy or quality or power of the x-
ray photons
 SID
• Source to image distance
– The distance between the point of x-ray emission
and the image receptor
– Also known as focal film distance (FFD) or target
film distance (TFD)
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Density
– The overall blackening of the film
 Variables That Affect Density
• Patient size and tissue composition
– The density of the tissues affect the visible density
on the radiographic film
– The denser the tissue, the lighter the corresponding
film
• mAs
– The chief controlling factor of exposure and density
– Increasing mA or time increases the radiographic
density
 Variables That Affect Density
• kVp
– kVp affects density differently than mAs. In order for
there to be a significant increase in density a 15% change
in kVp must be made.
– There is a peak or optimal kVp for each body part
• Distance
– Distance is inversely related to density
– A decrease of distance of the source of x-rays to film
increases the density and vice versa
– Known as the Inverse Square Law
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Beam Modification
– Anything that changes the nature of the radiation
beam.
– The beam may be modified before it enters the
patient (primary beam modification) or before it
interacts with the film (scatter control)
 Factors Affecting Beam
Modification
• Filtration
– The use of attenuating or absorbing material
between the x-ray tube and the patient that filters out
non-diagnostic, low energy, x-ray photons.
– Half value layer
• The amount of attenuating material that it takes to reduce
the primary x-ray beam to one half of its original value.
• Beam limitation devices
– Anything that will change the size of the primary x-
ray beam
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Grids
– A device that is designed to remove as many
scattered photons exiting the patient as possible
before they reach the film.
– Consist of thin lead strips interspersed with
spacing material
– Placed between the patient and the film to intercept
scattered photons leaving the patient.
 Factors Affecting Grids
• Grid Ratio
– The ratio of the height of the lead strips to the
distance between them.
– Grid ratios range from 5:1 to 16:1
– The higher the grid ratio the less density that
reaches the film
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Film / screen combinations
– Intensifying screens are fluorescent screens that
glow when exposed to x-radiation.. They are used
to enhance the radiation so that fewer x-ray
photons are used to create a radiographic image.
– The color of the glow of the intensifying screen
must match the color sensitivity of the film
(spectral matching)
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Relative speed of the film screen system
– The speed of an x-ray film system range from 50
to 1200.
– The faster the speed of the system, the greater the
density on the radiographic film it creates and the
fewer x-ray photons it takes to create an image.
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Processing
– Chemicals used to process or develop the
radiographic film may affect the density
– Most common change in density is temperature
• Temperature to hot, increases radiographic density
• Temperature to cold, decreases radiographic density
 Contrast
• The visible difference between adjacent
radiographic densities.
• The black and white and all shades of gray of
the x-ray film
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Quality
• Patient Factors
– Because tissues in the body attenuate x-rays
differently, tissues with similar attenuation will
have similar density as well as contrast.
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• kVp
– The chief controlling factor of contrast
– The higher the kVp, the lower the contrast
– The lower the kVp, the higher the contrast
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• mAs
– A secondary factor for contrast. No change in
mAs can make up for inadequate penetration
(kVp)
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• Beam Modification
– Anything that decreases scatter, increases contrast.
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• Film / screen combination
– Imaging systems are complementary to the body
structures or areas of the body
– In theory, the faster the system, the higher the
contrast
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• Contrast media
– Substances that attenuates the beam to a different
degree than the surrounding tissue
– Used to enhance areas of the body that have the
same attenuation of surrounding tissue
– Contrast media increases contrast on film
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Contrast
• Processing
– Inadequate processing degrades the radiographic
contrast
 Recorded Detail
• The distinct representation of an object’s true
borders or edges
• It is often called sharpness of detail, definition
or resolution
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Motion
– Voluntary motion
• Motion caused by the movement of the patient.
• Best controlled by good patient instructions
– Involuntary motion
• Motion caused by uncontrolled motion of the body such
as the heart beat or peristalsis
• Best controlled by short exposure times
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Object unsharpness
– The inherent unsharpness of an object due to its
shape and location
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Focal spot size
– A small focal spot is used when fine detail is
needed
– A large focal spot is used all other times
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Source to image distance (SID)
– As SID increases detail increase
– Penumbra
• A fuzzy border of an object that is obscure
– Umbra
• The true boarder
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Object to Image Distance (OID)
– The smaller the OID, the better the recorded detail
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Material Unsharpness
– Faster systems produce greater unsharpness of
detail
 Factors Affecting Radiographic
Recorded Detail
• Distortion
– The misrepresentation of the true size or shape of
an object
– Most commonly known as magnification
 Types of Distortion
• Size distortion
– Magnification
– The best image is produced by the smallest OID
and the largest SID
• Shape distortion
– The misrepresentation of the shape of a
radiographic image
– Images in the direct path of the central ray are the
most accurately represented
THE END