Computed and Digital Radiography (Erin) Flashcards
Describe xray fluorescence
the IMMEDIATE emission of light
Describe xray phosphorescence
the DELAYED emission of light
Is fluorescence of phosphorescence used in CR?
phosphorescence
In CR:
What type of phosphor are the imaging plates coated with
Barium fluorohalide (BaFBr)
In CR:
What happens to electrons in the phosphor plate during exposure?
The electrons in the phosphor are excited to a higher energy state
Temporarily trapped in this higher excited energy state
Form the LATENT image
In CR:
After exposure what happens to the imaging plate
Put into a read to release the stored xray data
And digital xrays are produced
In CR:
During readout what colour laser is the imaging plate exposed to?
Red Laser light
In CR:
What colour light is emitted by the imaging plate to be detected by the PM tube?
Blue light
In CR:
How is the imaging plate data erased
Exposing it to bright white light
In CR:
Is a larger or smaller crystal size used for a standard imaging plate
Larger
In CR:
Is a larger or smaller crystal size used for a high resolution imaging plate
Smaller
In CR:
Is a thicker or thinner layer of phosphor crystal used for a high resolution imaging plate
Thinner
In CR:
Is a thicker or thinner layer of phosphor crystal used for a standard resolution imaging plate
Thicker
In CR:
Does a standard imaging plate contain a light reflection layer?
Yes
In CR:
Does a high resolution imaging plate contain a light reflection layer?
No
In CR:
Which has a better xray absorption efficiency; standard imaging plates or high resolution imaging plates?
Standard imaging plates (40%)
High resolution imaging plates lower efficiency - i.e need larger xray doses
In CR:
What is the role of the PM tube?
Collects blue light photons and converts them to an electrical current
In CR:
How is each signal sample stored?
In an individual pixel
In CR:
How is the signal output from the photomultiplier tube samples/digitized?
The signal output from PM is sampled at regular intervals by an ADC to produce a digital image
In CR what do we mean by sampling pitch?
Distance between each sample
In CR:
What is the sampling pitch equal to?
Sample pitch = pixel size
In CR:
How is sample frequency (number of samples per mm) calculated?
1/pixel size
In CR:
What is the effect of increased sample frequency on spatial resolution?
Increases SR
In CR:
What is the effect of a large imaging plate on pixel size and spatial resolution
Larger pixel size
Lower spatial resolution
In CR:
What is the effect of a small imaging plate on pixel size and spatial resolution?
Small pixels
Better spatial resolution
In CR:
What is the typical spatial resolution?
2-3lp/mm
In CR what is the highest spatial resolution?
5lp/mm
In CR:
what 4 factors determined spatial resolution
Size of readout laser beam
Thickness of phosphor layer
Pixel size
Sampling rate
In CR:
What effect does smaller diameter readout laser beam have on SR?
Improved SR
In CR:
What effect does larger diameter readout laser beam have on SR?
Decreased SR
In CR:
What effect does smaller pixels have on SR?
Improved SR
In CR:
What effect does larger pixels have on SR?
Decreased SR
In CR:
What effect does smaller phosphor crystals have on SR?
Improved SR
In CR:
What effect does larger phosphor crystals have on SR?
Decreased SR
In CR:
What effect does a thinner phosphor layer have on SR?
Improved SR
In CR:
What effect does a thicker phosphor layer have on SR?
Decreased SR
What type of detectors are used in digital radiography?
Flat panel detectors
What are the two types of flat panel detectors
Indirect FPD
Direct FPD
In CR:
What is detective quantitive efficiency (DQE) a measure of?
Sensitivity of detector
What is the difference between indirect and direct DR?
Indirect: xray photons -> light photons -> electrical signal
Direct: xray photons -> electrical signal
What type of phosphor is typically used in indirect DR?
Caesium iodide
Or
Gadolinium Oxysulphide
Indirect DR:
In the scintillation later what is the caesium iodide phosphor typically coated in
Amorphous silicon
In indirect DR?
What is the typical SR?
2.0-3.5lp/mm
In indirect DR:
How is detector size changed?
Detector size is usually fixed
But different sizes are available
In indirect DR:
What colour photons does the phosphor release?
Green
In Indirect DR:
Where are the light photons detected?
Detected by active matrix which is separated into pixels
In indirect DR:
What does each pixel contain
Photodiode (amplifies signal)
Charged storage capacitor (stores signal of latent image)
In indirect DR:
What is the role of the TFT switch
Latent image read out and transferred to TFT switches that produce voltage signal that is digitised and converted into the image
In indirect DR:
What is fill factor and how is it calculated
TFT and charge storage take up a small area of the pixel
Fill factor = sensitive area/overall area
In direct DR:
What is the photoconductor made of?
Amorphous Selenium
Direct DR:
Describe the conversion of xrays to an image
- Xrays interact with a-Se photoconductor
- electrical charge carriers (negative electrons and positive holes) are created in the a-Se photoconductor
- Electrons are attracted by a strong positive electric field to a transistor array where they are collected
- When the exposure ends the charge stored in each transistor is read out and fed into a computor
- Voltage signal is digitised
In Direct DR:
What does pixel size depend on?
Size of transistors
Describe Moire pattern artefact
When stationary xray anti-scatter grid is used and there is interference between the linear structure of the grid and the regular pixel array of the digitised image
Describe ghost image artefact
In CR
Due to carry over image content from a previous exposure
Which is used more commonly for general radiography - direct or indirect FPD?
Indirect
Why are indirect FPD used more commonly (over direct FPD)? (3)
- CSI Good absorber of xrays at 70-90kvp so lower patient doses
- Cheaper than direct
- Greater stability than direct FPD
Which FPD are preferred for mammography (direct or indirect)?
Direct
Why are direct FPD preferred for mammography?
Good absorber of low energy xrays
Which has a better spatial resolution?
Direct or indirect FPD?
Direct