Final Exam Review Flashcards
What are 2 types of scintillator materials?
Cesium Iodine
Gadolinium
What does a scintillator do?
Converts x-rays to light
Cesium Iodine Vs. Gadolinium Oxysulfide
CSI- long crystal columns that direct the light down to the TFT, higher spacial resolution due to less light spread
Gd2O2S-random unstructured crystal layer, light can escape laterally before reaching TFT(air pockets)
Lower spacial resolution due to more light spread
Good for rugged applications
What is the TFT? And function?
Thin film transistor
-isolates each pixel element and acts like a switch to send electrical charge image processor
What is fill factor?
% of pixel face that is sensitive to x-rays
Approx. 80% leaving 20% of the beam that doesn’t contribute to image
Photodetector?
- holds the pixels
- made of amorphous silicon
CCD?
Charged Coupled Device
- photodetector
- electronics embedded into silicon chip
- converts light to electrical charge & stores it
- Charge is released to the ADC (analog to Digital Converter)
Advantages of Digital?
- wide exposure latitude(can detect lots of grays)
- reduction in repeats
- can compensate for over/under exposure
- environmentally friendly
3 components of film?
- cassette
- intensifying screen
- film
What is the purpose of the intensifying screen?
- reduces patient does because it converts x-rays to visible light
- decreases resolution because of light
Layers of the intensifying screen (4)
- Protective layer
- Phosphor layer
- reflecting layer
- base
Function of phosphor layer?
-emits light when x-rays hits
DQE?
Detective Quantum Efficiency
-% of x-rays absorbed by the screen
CE?
Conversion Efficiency
-amount of light emitted for each x-ray absorbed
-Characteristic of phosphor layer
2 types of luminescence?
- Fluorescence -light is emitted only while being stimulated
(Light bulb) - Phosphorescence- light emitted even after stimulation
(Glow in the dark sticker)
Phosphor factors that effect the image? (4)
- Material Composition-calcium tungstate vs. Rare earth
- Thickness of layer- thicker layer=increased DQE
- Concentration-more concentrated = higher screen speed
- Size of Phosphor- larger phosphor = more light produced per x-ray interaction
Intensification Factor?
exposure without screen/exposure with screen=IF
-gives information about patient dose
Screen Speeds ?
- describes Efficiency of x-ray conversions to light
- calcium tungstate is used for a basis of comparison with assigned value of 100
How does screen speed effect does?
higher speed =lower dose
How does screen speed effect detail?
Higher speed = less detail
Uncontrolled speed Factor? (6)
- built in
1. Phosphor composition
2. Phosphor thickness
3. Reflective layer (has one or doesn’t)
4. Dye in phosphor layer
5. Crystal Size
6. Crystal concentration
How does phosphor size and thickness effect speed?
Greater size and thickness = higher speed
Controllable speed Factors? (3)
- Radiation quality- high KVP =high Intensification Factor
- Processing
- Temperature- higher IF at low temp
Film base? Fog?
Base- colour added to film base
Fog- any exposure during storage, contamination, processing
On a characteristic curve the slope is?
-the degree of contrast
Slope of the line is drawn between points corresponding to OD (0.25-2) above base and fog densities
.
Gradient on characteristic curve?
-slope of the tangent at any point on the curve
Toe gradient?
-more important than average because many clinical OD’s appear in this region
Shoulder Gradient?
-important in mammo, most of their OD’s are in this region
Latitude?
Range of exposures that the image receptor can display
- Wider=lower contrast
- Narrow=high contrast q
Speed?
The ability of image receptor to respond to an x-ray exposure
-also known as Measure of Sensitivity
Changing speeds formula?
RS1/RS2=mAs2/mAs1
Image Receptor Speeds effect?
- radiation sensitivity
- density
- dose
Quantum Mottle?
- not enough radiation hits the IR
- more light producing the image rather than x-rays
- it will appear splotchy, mottled, and grainy
- decreases image detail
- need to increase mAs to correct it
4 Factors that effect radiographic image quality?
- Photographic
- optical density
- contrast - Geometric
- detail
- distortion
What is recorded detail?
-degree of sharpness of structural lines on a radiograph
Synonyms for Detail?
- recorded detail
- definition
- sharpness
- blur
- resolution
What is resolution?
- ability of an imaging system to distinguish between 2 adjacent structures
- expressed in (line pairs/mm)
Resolution is the combination of?
- Spacial resolution ( ability to image small objects )
- Contrast resolution ( ability to distinguish between 2 objects with similar subject contrast )
Line pairs consist of?
-lead stripe(line) and air space (space) = line pair
How do line pairs effect resolution?
More line pairs = higher resolution
Factors that control detail? (3)
- Geometric unsharpness
- Motion unsharpness
- Image receptor unsharpness
Factors that effect Geometric Unsharpness?
- focal spot size ( ranges from 0.1-3.0 mm )
- distance ( SID & OID )
What is focal spot blur?
Occurs because the effective focal spot is not a single point
The most important factor for spacial resolution is?
- Focal spot blur
- High contrast objects that are smaller than focal spot blur can’t be imaged
How does magnification effect blur?
-more magnification = more blur
How to decrease focal spot blur?
- use smallest focal spot possible
- largest SID possible
- Smallest OID possible
Less focal spot blur on Anode Side
.
Why does increasing SID reduce blur?
-diverging rays become more perpendicular to object which decreases the unsharpness
How does decreasing OID decrease blur?
-Less room for diverging rays between patient and IR
What has the greatest effect of Geometric unsharpness?
-OID
The most detrimental effect on recorded detail is?
- motion unsharpness
- motion of anatomy, tube, or image receptor
2 Types of patient motion?
- Voluntary
- Involuntary
What is image receptor unsharpness affected by?
The device used to record the image
- do to manufacture
- don’t have control over this
If you____________speed, you _______________unsharpness
Increase, Increase
Factors that affect recorded detail? (4)
- Phosphor size
- Phosphor layer thickness
- Phosphor Concentration
- Film Screen Contact
__________phosphor size results in a _____________recorded detail
Large, Decrease
Factors that affect resolution of digital imaging systems(2)
- Geometric properties of the IR
- Image Processing system
Factors that limit detail? (4)
- Phosphor size
- Layer thickness
- Concentration
- Scanning of the screen and processing
_________the pixel, ___________the resolution
Smaller, Higher
Fill Factor?
- area of detector that is light sensitive
- HIGH fill factor=HIGH resolution
- more transitions(steps)=REDUCES recorded detail
Distortion? Types?
- results from radiographic misinterpretation of an object
1. Size distortion-magnification
2. Shape distortion-elongation and foreshortening
Ways to minimize distortion?`
- distances
- central ray
- patient postition
- IR position