Scatter
This primary type of X-ray interaction in diagnostic imaging is responsible for creating scatter radiation when a photon changes direction.
What is the Compton effect (or Compton scattering)
This component of an X-ray machine must be lined with lead or constructed to completely surround the X-ray tube to absorb unwanted escaping rays.
What is the protective housing
This term describes the useful, primary x-ray beam that exits the tube housing window and travels directly toward the patient.
What is the primary beam (or primary radiation)?
This type of secondary radiation is created when the primary x-ray beam interacts with matter and is deflected in all directions.
What is scatter radiation?
This primary device or method restricts the X-ray beam field size to reduce the amount of scatter radiation produced.
What is collimation
Unlike the primary beam used to image a patient, leakage radiation emerges from this part of the tube assembly rather than the useful aperture window.
What is the housing (or non-window areas of the tube)?
In radiology protection, the structural barrier designed to absorb and intercept this direct, primary radiation beam requires the most shielding thickness.
What is a primary protective barrier?
This specific type of secondary x-ray radiation is produced when fast-moving electrons are suddenly slowed down or stopped by hitting a dense target.
What is Bremsstrahlung radiation (braking radiation)?
Scatter radiation degrades the radiographic image by doing this to overall image contrast.
What is decreasing (or lowering/reducing) contrast
Diagnostic protective housings must reduce leakage radiation to a maximum of this specific dose rate limit at a distance of 1 meter from the source.
What is 1 mGy/hr (or 100 mR/hr)?
This specific technical factor on the control panel directly controls the quality (penetrating power and wavelength) of the primary radiation beam.
What is kilovoltage peak (kVp)?
In dental and medical radiography, this component inside the tube head uses a lead foil back to prevent secondary scatter from fogging the image.
What is the film packet (or cassette/detector backing)?
Placed between the patient and the image receptor, this cleanup device uses lead strips to absorb divergent scatter radiation.
What is an anti-scatter grid?
This specific distance from the target (focal spot) is the standard baseline used when measuring and regulating allowable X-ray tube leakage limits.
What is 1 meter
Unlike scatter or leakage radiation, primary radiation travels in these geometrical paths straight from the focal spot of the target.
What are straight lines?
This unwanted type of secondary radiation escapes in all directions through defects, cracks, or structural faults in the protective x-ray tube housing.
What is leakage radiation?
Increasing this exposure factor setting (kVp) increases the penetrating power of the beam, which proportionally increases this type of scatter interaction relative to photoelectric absorption.
What is Compton scatter (or kVp / beam energy)
While the primary beam poses direct occupational and patient risks, leakage radiation is generally classified as this type of secondary contributor that does not significantly increase overall staff dose during normal operation.
What is negligible (or minimal)?
During an exposure, any tissue of the patient or operator located entirely outside of this main, useful radiation field is only exposed to secondary or off-focus rays rather than this.
What is the primary radiation beam?
When shielding high-energy beta emitters like Phosphorus-32, using lead instead of low-Z materials like Plexiglas paradoxically increases the production of this secondary radiation.
What is Bremsstrahlung?