Principles of Imaging

Welcome to Principles of Imaging course!

Outline below are some of the important points in the prefinal period:

1. Visible light emitted by intensifying screen phosphor is called luminescence.

2. Visibility of the image detail describes the ability to see the detail on the radiograph and
its best measured by contrast resolution.
3. The use of radiographic contrast media will not affect the recorded detail and amount of
distortion. It will greatly affect density and contrast.
4. The use of compression device reduces motion and decreases the effects of fatty tissue.
5. The use of a high-speed screen causes image blur.
6. The smaller the effective focal spot, the sharper the image
7. The result of short SID and long OID is distortion.
8. The alignment of tube to part, alignment of tube to image receptor and alignment of part
to image receptor affect shape distortion.
9. Suspending respiration, using short exposure time and instructing patient are some of
the methods of minimizing motion unsharpness
10. Small effective focal spot size, long FFD and short OFD contribute to increased recorded
detail.
11. Size distortion will be minimized by increasing FFD and decreasing OFD.
12. Size distortion increases when OFD is increased
13. Size distortion – magnification
14. Sharpness of detail refers to the structural lines of borders of tissue in the image and the
amount of blur in of the image
15. Sharpness of detail on a radiograph is principally improved by restraining devices
16. Shape distortion – elongation and foreshortening
17. Recorded detail is the amount of geometric sharpness or accuracy of the image.
18. Recorded detail is primarily controlled by geometric factors such as distance.
19. Recorded detail is directly proportional to SID.
20. Phosphor thickness greatly contributes to the increased image blur in rare earth screens
21. Penumbra can be lessened by increasing distance.
22. OID is a major cause of magnification
23. Non-screen film is most of the time incorrectly substituted for direct exposure
radiography
24. Long OFD, long OID and short SID are related to a high incidence of penumbra.
25. Involuntary motion is usually present when a seriously injured patient is examined
26. Intensity of radiation is varying inversely with the square of the distance.
27. Intensifying screen phosphor size and layer thickness can greatly affect density and
recorded detail.
28. Image blur that can result to severe degradation of recorded detail is a result of motion.
29. Geometric unsharpness is directly influenced by OID.
30. Foreshortening of an anatomic structure means that it is projected on the film
shorter/smaller than its actual size
31. Foreshortening can be caused by object being placed at an angle to the IR.
32. Focal spot size principally determines radiographic spatial resolution
33. Focal spot blur is greatest toward the cathode end of the x-ray beam
34. Fast and slow screen differ in their phosphor crystal’s size distribution.
35. Dual focus tubes are x-ray tubes with two filaments
36. Distortion is most affected by central ray alignment.
37. Cassettes should be tested periodically with wire mesh test for screen contact.
38. Cassette is the rigid holder that contains the screen and film
39. As the thickness of the active layer in an intensifying screen is increased, the image
becomes unsharp.
40. Afterglow or lag is the continued fluorescence after termination of exposure
41. A wire mesh test is performed to diagnose screen contact.
42. A decrease in FFD and an increase in both film/screen speed and OFD will reduce
recorded detail.
43. A decrease in both film/screen speed and OFD and an increase in FFD will increase
recorded detail.