Grids Flashcards
Who built the 1st grid?
Dr. Gustav Bucky (1913)
What was Dr. Bucky’s original principle?
Lead foil strips standing on edge separated by x-ray transparent interspacers
What is responsible for dark areas?
Transmission
What is responsible for light areas?
Absorption
Who came up with the moving grid?
Hollis Potter (1915-1917)
What is another name for a moving grid?
Wire Grid
What was the idea behind the moving/ wire grid?
To get rid of grid lines
What was the problem with Potters grid?
- It was filtering out radiation before it got to the patient
- Required high technique to get through the grid
What was the Potter Bucky Diaphragm?
Moving grid
What determines when to use a grid?
- When body part thickness exceeds 10cm
Ex: shoulders, knees - kVp is above 60
What is a grid composed of?
Alternating strips of radiopaque and radiolucent material
What type of material absorbs scatter?
Radiopaque
What are the reasons lead is used as the typical radiopaque material?
- Inexpensive
- Shapes easily
- High atomic #
- Dense
What material are the interspaces, radiolucent or radiopaque?
Radiolucent
Is the interspace material typically thicker or thinner than lead?
Thicker
What is often used as the interspace material?
Aluminum
*Plastic fiber can also be used
Why is aluminum often used as the interspace material?
- Durable
- Absorbs low energy scatter
Why is aluminum used more frequently than plastic fiber as the interspace material?
Aluminum has a higher atomic number
What is grid ratio?
The ratio between the lead content and the aluminum content
Height of grid strip (h)
_________________
Interspace width (d)
If the height of the lead strips stays the same and the distance between them decreases, what is the result of the grid ratio?
It increases
What is the grid ratio when the lead strips are 3.2mm high and separated by 0.2mm?
- 2
- —- = 16:1 - 2
If a grid ratio has an interspace of 0.5mm and lead strips that are 3mm high, what is it’s grid ratio?
3
- – = 6:1
0. 5
What is the grid ratio range?
4: 1 - 16:1
* Mammo can go lower
Would a high grid ratio clean up more scatter radiation than a low grid ratio?
Yes
What would clean up scatter radiation better, a high or low grid ratio?
High
What type of grid ratio would improve contrast?
High