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Chapter 11

Concepts you already know!!!

INTENSITY = ROENTGENS AKA EXPOSURE

mAs and mR proportional?

kVp and mR proportional?

Distance and mR proportional?

How do you "harden" the beam

"The disadvantage of x-ray beam filtration is reduced image contrast owing to beam hardening." Why?

HALF VALUE LAYER

What is penetrability?

HIGH QUALITY VS LOW QUALITY X-RAYS

HVL See last green box on pg 165

FILTRATION

Inherent

Added

What affect does added filtration have to HVL?

Compensating

X-RAYS
AND

INTERACTION

WITH

MATTER

"The Three Bears"

Low energy

Medium energy

High energy

interact with whole atom

interact with electrons

interact with nuclei

Low energy

Classical or coherent or Thomson, Rayleigh

interacts with target atom

excites it

DOES NOT IONIZE IT

NO ENERGY TRANSFER

no change of direction (scatter)

little significance in diagnostic x-ray

Medium energy

Photoelectric effect

lower KvP (atomic #)

inner shell electrons

x-ray totally absorbed

secondary/

characteristic

Produces the brightness (white) on film

useful

Medium energy

Compton Effect

Increases with higher energy

interacts with outer shell electron

IONIZES ATOM

energy divided between scattered x-ray &compton electron

Scattered x-ray can go many directions

not useful

happens with all exams

backscatter

High energy

Pair production-interaction near the nuclei

Photodisintegration-absorbed by nucleus

1.0 MeV and 10MeV respectively

What does all this mean in terms of images on the film?

COMPTON VS PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

Compton-produces film fog

Photoelectric effect results in no x-rays reaching the film (radioopaque)

DIFFERENTIAL ABSORPTION

Difference of those x-rays absorbed photoelectrically and x-rays not absorbed at all.

Radiolucent

<5% reach film

<1/2 which reach film interact

1% of x-rays emitted produce film image

WHAT IS MASS DENSITY?

Contrast examination

Barium

Iodine

Air

Exponential attenuation

X-ray interaction in any of the five mechanisms already note

Which are…

Exponential attenuation (pg 185 figure 12-15