Chapter 12 Flashcards
The radiographic intensifying screen emits
visible light, which exposes the radiographic film placed between the two screens. Although, some x-rays reach the film emulsion, it is primarily light from the radiograpic intensifying screens that expose the radiographic film.
Processing the invisible latent image
creates the visible image
procesing
causes the silver ions in the silver halide crystal that have been exposes to light to be converted into microscopic grains of silver.
film processing sequence
wetting, developing, rinsing, fixing, washing, and drying-is completed in 90 seconds in an automatic processor.
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Image forming x-rays are those that exit the patient and interact with the image receptor.
exit x-ray beam
refers to the x-rays that remain as the useful beam exits the patient. It consist of x-rays scattered away from the image receptor and image forming x-rays.
radiographic media
x-ray film fluoroscopic image intensifier television, or flat panel monitor laser imaging system solid state detectors
the medium that converts the x-ray beam into a visible image is called
image receptor (IR) The classical IR is photographic film, although sokid state digital IRs are replacing film
Radiographic film has two parts:
base and the emulsion
double emulsion film
in most x-ray film, the emulsion is coated on both sides.
Adhesive layer
between the emulsion and the base is a thin coating of material which ensures uniform adhesion of the emulsion to the base. This adhesive layer allows the emulsion and the base to maintain proper contact and integrity during use and processing.
Base
is the foundation of radiographic film. its primary purpose is to provide a rigid structure onto which the emulsion can be coated. the base is flexible and fracture resistant to allow easy handling but is rigid enough to be snapped into a view box.
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the base of radiographic film is 150 to 300 um thick, semirigid, lucent, and made of polyester.
dimensional stability
the base of radiographic film maintains its size and shape during use and processing so that it does not contribute to image distortion.
lucency
the base is uniformed and is nearly transparent to light.
film tinted blue
during manufacturing, dye is added to the base of most radiographic film to slightly tint the film blue. compared to untinted film, this coloring reduces eyestraing and fatigue, enhancing radiologists diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.
Original film base
was a glass plate
cellulose nitrate
replaced glass plates but was flawed because of its highly flammable state.
cellulose triacetate
was referred to as “safety base” because it was not flammable. it was introduced in the mid 1920’s
Polyester
was introduced in the 1960s. it took the place of cellulose triacetate as the film base of choice. it is more resistant to warping from age and is stronger than CT, permitting easier transport through automatic processors. its dimensional stability is superior. polyester bases are thinner than tracetate bases (175 um) but are just as strong.
Emulsion
the heart of the radiograpphic film. it is the material with which x-rays or light photons from radiographic intensifying screens interact. it consists of a homogeneous mixture of gelatin and silver halide crystals. It is coated evenly with a layer that is 3 to 5 um thick. The gelatin is clear, so it transmits light, and is porous for processing chemicals to penetrate to the crystals of silver halide. Its principal function is to provide mechanical support for silver halide crystals by holding them uniformly dispersed in place.
Radiographic emulsion
silver halide crystal is the active ingredient of the radiographic emulsion. In the typical emulsion, 98% of the silver halide is silver bromide; the remainder is usually silver iodide. The interaction of x-ray and light photons with high Z atoms ultimately results in the formation of a latent image on the radiograph.
Silver halide crystals
Depending on the intended imaging application, silver halide crystals may have tabular, cubic, octahedral, polyhedral, or irregular shapes. Tabular grains are used in most radiographic films.
tabular silver halide crystals
are flat and typically 0.1 um thick, with a triangular, hexagonal, or higher order polygonal cross section. The crystals are approximately 1 um in diameter.
The crystals are made by dissolving metallic silver (Ag) in nitric acid (HNO3) to form silver nitrate (AgNO3). Light sensitive silver bromide (AgBr) crystals are formed by mixing silver nitrate with potassium bromide (KBr)
Sensitivity center
The shape and lattice structure of silver halide crystals are not perfect, and some of the imperfections result in the imaging property of the crystals. the type of imperfection thought to be responsible is a chemical contaminant, usually silver sulfide, which is introduced by a chemical sensitization into the crystal lattice, usually at or near the surface. During exposure, phtotelectrons and silver ions are attracted to these sensitivity centers, where they are combine to form a latent image center of metallic silver.
differences in speed, contrast, and spatial resolution among various radiographic films are determined by the process by which silver halide crystals are manufactured and by the mixture of these crystals into the gelatin.
the number of sensitivity centers per crystal, the concentration of crystals in the emulsion, and the size and distribution of the crystals affect the performance characteristics of radiographic film.
Radiographic film is manufactured in total darkness. From the moment the emulsion ingredients are brought together until final packaging, no light is present.
screen film
the most commonly used film
screen film
is the type of film that is used with radiographic intensifying screens.
several characteristics must be considered when one is selecting screen film: contrast, speed, spectral matching, anticrossover or antihalation dyes, and requirement for a safelight.
screen film
contrast
most manufacturers offer screen film with multiple contrast levels. the contrast IR is inversely proportional to its exposure latitude, that is, the range of exposure technique that produce an acceptable image. Usually the manufacturer identifies the contrast of these films as medium, high, or higher. the difference depends on the size and distribution of the silver halide crystals. a high contrast emulsion contains smaller silver halide grains with a relatively uniform grain size. low contrast films, contain larger grains that have a wider range of sizes.
screen film
speed
speed is the sensitivity of the screen film combination to x-rays and light.
for direct exposure film, speed is principally a function of the concentration and the total number of silver halide crystals. for screen film, silver halide grain size, shape, and concentration are the principal determinants of film speed.
to optimize speed, screen films are usually double emulsion, that is, an emulsion is layered on either side of the base. this double layering is attributable primarily to the efficiency conferred by the use of two screens to expose the film from both sides. this produces twice the speed that could be attained with a single emulsion film even if the single emulsion were made twice as thick.
compared with earlier technology, current emulsions contain less silver yet produce the same optical density per unit exposure. this more efficient use of silver in the emulsion is called the covering power of the emulsion.
screen film
crossover
most emulsions contain tabular grains, which are flat silver halide crystals, and provide a large surface area to volume ratio. the result is improved covering power an significantly lower crossover.
when light is emitted by a radiographic intensifying screen, it not only exposes the adjacent emulsion, it can also expose the emulsion on the other side of the base.
when light crosses over the base, it causes increased blurring of the image.
tabular grain emulsions reduce crossover because the covering power is increased, which relates not only to light absorption from the screen (which is increased) but also to light transmitted through the emulsion to cause crossover (which is reduced).
The addition of a absorbing dye in a crossover control layer reduces crossover to near zero. the crossover control layer has three critical characteristics 1) it absorbs most of the crossover light, 2) it does not diffuse into the emulsion but remains as a separate layer, and 3) it is completely removed during processing.
screen film
spectral matching
the most important consideration in the selection of modern screen film is its spectral absorption characteristics.
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crossover is the exposure of an emulsion caused by light from opposite radiographic intensifying screen.
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large grain emulsions are more sensitive than small grain emulsions.
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rare earth screens are made with rare earth elements–those with atomic numbers of 57 to 71.
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the fog level for unprocessed film is approximately 2 uGy (0.2 mR)
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the latent image is the invisible change that is induced in the silver halide crystal.
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an ion is an atom that has too many or too few electrons and therefore has electric charge
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the result is the same whether the interaction involves visible light from a radiographic intensifying screen or direct exposure by x-rays.