Notebook #13 Revisions

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Notebook #13

Factors that Affect X-Ray Quantity:

Milliamperage-second (mAs):
-Controls quantity density/ image receptor exposure
-Controls quantity of x-ray photons and how long they are created
-Controls patient dose
Kilovoltage (kVp):
-Controls energy penetrability
-Influences scatter
- Influences beam quantity
-Increased target interactions with increased kVp
-Directly squared relationship to change in kVp selected
-Dramatic effect on radiographic contrast
- Increasing kVp increases quantity
- Decreasing kVp decreases quantity
-1 kVp= 1000 volts
-Electrical term for electrical potential/potential difference
-Higher kVp beam has more energy; is more penetrating
-Wavelength of x-ray photon is shorter
-kVp range selected depends upon body part being imaged
Distance:
- As SID increases, beam intensity decreases
-As SID decreases, beam intensity increases
-Affects patient dose
-Beam diverges in all directions as it travels away from its source
-How far the x-ray tube is from the imaging plate or cassette
-The Inverse Square Law states that the intensity of radiation at a given
distance from the point source is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance
- Inverse Square Law:
I1 / I2 = D22 / D12
I= original intensity (mR)
I2= new intensity (mR)
D1= original distance
D2= new distance

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Filtration:
-Increase the amount of filtration, the beam is harder and less low energy soft
photons are let through
-Increases average beam energy
-Increase the amount of filtration, the beam is softer photons are absorbed in
the filtration material
-Filtration is used to protect patients
-Less low energy photons absorbed by patient (lower dose to
patient)
-Low energy x-rays that are filtered will most likely never reach the
IR
-Filtration is expressed in half-value-layer (HVL)= amount of absorbing material that will
reduce intensity of primary beam to one-half its original value
-Indirect measure of total filtration in x-ray beam
-Expressed in aluminum filtration Al/Eq
Factors that Affect X-Ray Quality:
Kilovoltage (kVp):
-Controls beam quality
-Controls energy penetrability
-Influences scatter
-Directly squared relationship to change in kVp selected
-Dramatic effect on radiographic contrast
- Increasing kVp increases beam penetrability
- Decreasing kVp decreases beam penetrability
-1 kVp= 1000 volts
-Electrical term for electrical potential/potential difference
-Higher kVp beam has more energy; is more penetrating
-Wavelength of x-ray photon is shorter
-kVp range selected depends upon body part being imaged
Filtration:
-Increase the amount of filtration, the beam is harder and less low energy soft
photons are let through
-Increases average beam energy
-Increase the amount of filtration, the beam is softer photons are absorbed in the
filtration material
-Filtration is used to protect patients
-Less low energy photons absorbed by patient (lower dose to
patient)
-Low energy x-rays that are filtered will most likely never reach the
IR
-Filtration is expressed in half-value-layer (HVL)= amount of absorbing material that will
reduce intensity of primary beam to one-half its original value
-Indirect measure of total filtration in x-ray beam
-Expressed in aluminum filtration Al/Eq

Notebook #13 Revisions

30