Chapter 3: Interaction of X-Radiation with Matter Flashcards
The processes of interaction between radiation and matter are emphasized because a basic understanding of the subject is necessary for radiographers to optimally select the following technical exposure factors:
- milliampere-seconds (mAs)
- peak kilovoltage (kVp)
no dose is a
safe dose
the highest energy level of photons in the x-ray beam, equal to the highest voltage established across the x-ray tube
peak kilovoltage (kVp)
controls the quality, or penetrating power, of the photons in the x-ray beam and to some degree also affects the quantity, or number of photons, in the beam.
peak kilovoltage (kVp)
is your penetration and quality
kvp
polygenetic heterogenous beam
kvp
90 kvp average energy is
1/3 so is 30
is the product of milliamperes (mA) which is electron tube current and the amount of time in seconds that the x-ray tube is activated
Milliampere-seconds (mAs)
is considered pt dose
mAs
decrease pt dose
What technical factors?
increase kvp and decrease mAs
if mAs is decrease too much
an grainy image will appear called quantum mottle
is your current and quantity
mAs
Selects technical exposure factors that control beam quality and quantity
- is actually responsible for the dose the patient receives during an imaging procedure
radiographer
what are carriers of manmade electromagnetic energy
x-rays
With a suitable understanding of these factors, radiographers will be able to select appropriate so they can
that can minimize that dose to the patient while producing optimal-quality images.
If x-rays enter a material such as human tissue, they may:
- Interact with the atoms of the biologic material in the patient and be absorbed
- Interact with the atoms in the biologic material and be scattered, causing some indirect transmission
- Pass through without interaction
If an interaction occurs, electromagnetic energy is transferred from the x-rays to the atoms of the patient’s biologic tissue. This process is called
absorption
the amount of energy absorbed per unit mass is referred to as
absorbed dose
The more electromagnetic energy that is received by the atoms of the patient’s body,
the greater is the possibility of biologic damage in the patient
without absorption and the differences in the absorption properties of various body structures,
it would not be possible to produce diagnostically useful images, that is, images in which different anatomic structures could be perceived and distinguished
gives you the different shades of gray black / white
absorption
photoelectric is
absorption
deposited into patient body
absorption
absorbed dose is measured in
milligray (mGY)
A diagnostic x-ray beam is produced
when a stream of very energetic electrons bombards a positively charged target in a highly evacuated glass tube.
atomic number of tungsten
74
the target known as the anode is made up of
tungsten rhenium
why is tungsten used
High melting points
* High atomic numbers
atomic number of rhenium
75
As the electrons interact with the atoms of the tube target
x-ray photons are produced
Photons are particles associated with electromagnetic radiation that have neither mass nor electric charge and travel at the speed of light. X-ray photons exit from the tube target with a broad range, or spectrum, of energies and leave the x-ray tube through a glass window. The glass window permits passage of all but the lowest-energy components of the x-ray spectrum. It therefore acts as a filter by removing diagnostically useless, very-low-energy x-rays.
important
is the x-ray photon beam that emerges from the x-ray tube and is directed toward the image receptor
primary radiation
are particles associated with electromagnetic radiation that have neither mass nor electric charge and travel at the speed of light
photons
exit from the tube target with a broad range, or spectrum, of energies and leave the x-ray tube through a glass window.
xray photons
permits passage of all but the lowest-energy components of the x-ray spectrum. It therefore acts as a filter by removing diagnostically useless, very-low-energy x-rays. In addition to this, a certain thickness of added aluminum is placed within the collimator assembly to intercept the emerging x-rays before they reach the patient.
glass window
what is the average energy
1/3 of the kvp
whole voltage on the x-ray tube
kvp
individual energy of specific x-rays
kev
In diagnostic radiology, the voltage is expressed in thousands of volts, or:
kilovolts (kv)
because the voltage across the tube fluctuates, it is usually charcterized by
kilovolt peak value (kvp)
True or False:
Not all photons in a diagnostic xray bean have the same energy
true
True or False :
The most energetic photons in the beam can have no more energy than the electrons that bombard the target
true
Photons that strike the image receptor are called
Transmitted photons
are the photons that have undergone either absorption or scatter and do not strike the image receptor
attenuated photons
X-rays sometimes interact with atoms of a patient such that they give up all of their energy and cease to exist. These photons are said to be
absorbed
Other photons interact with atoms of the patient, but only surrender part of their energy. They will continue to exist but will emerge from the interaction at a different angle (somewhat like a billiard ball colliding with another billiard ball). These photons are said to be
scattered
Some primary photons will traverse the patient without interacting. These noninteracting x-ray photons reach the radiographic image receptor (e.g., phosphor plate or digital radiography receptor).
what kind of transmission
direct transmission
Decrease in amount of photons reaching IR
attenuation
Direct and indirect transmission of x-ray photons
When an x-ray beam passes through a patient, it goes through a process called
attenuation
If they interacted but still happened to strike the image receptor, they are termed
- as a result of scattered
indirect transmission of photons
If photons pass through the patient without interacting with the atoms of the patient, they are referred to as
direct transmission photons
Other primary photons can undergo Compton and/or coherent interactions and as a result may be scattered or deflected with a potential loss of energy. Such photons may still traverse the patient and strike the image receptor
indirect transmission
Primary, exit, and attenuated photons are photons that emerge
from the x-ray source
are photons that pass through the patient being radiographed and reach the radiographic image receptor
exit or image formation photons
are photons that have interacted with atoms of the patient’s biologic tissue and have been scattered or absorbed such that they do not reach the radiographic image receptor.
attenuated photons
interaction of photon is random or normal
random with biological matter
primary beam going into
patient
photoelectric
- absorbed in the body
absorption
not diagnostic
coherent interaction
diagnostic
photoelectric and compton
scattered
compton
When x-rays interact with human tissue electromagnetic energy is transferred from the x-rays to the atoms of the patient’s biologic material (absorption), and the amount of energy absorbed per unit mass
is the absorbed dose
Keep the amount of electromagnetic energy transferred to the patient’s body as small as possible to
minimize the possibility of biological damage
Diagnostic radiology
photoelectric absorption
Not significant in any energy range
Coherent scattering