Processing Faults

Janine Claire D. Buco, RRT

Clinical Instructor
• Proper film processing is required for optimal image receptor contrast because the
degree of development has a pronounced effect on the level of fog density and on
the ODs resulting from a given exposure at a given image receptor speed.
• Ø Development Time
• development time recommended by the manufacturer is the time that will result in maximum
contrast.
• When development time extends far beyond the recommended period, the image receptor
contrast decreases, the relative speed increases, and the fog level increases.
• Ø Development Temperature.
• The relationships just described for variations in development time apply equally well to
variations in development temperature.
• When the average gradient, speed, and fog level for any film are plotted as a function of
development temperature.
• Processing is as important as technique and positioning in preparing a quality
radiograph.
 PROCESSOR
QUALITY CONTROL
• Quality control in any activity refers to the routine and special procedures
developed to ensure that the final product is of consistently high quality.
• QC in screen-film radiography requires a planned continuous program of
evaluation and surveillance of radiologic equipment and procedures.
• When applied to automatic processing, such a program involves periodic
cleaning, system maintenance, and daily monitoring.
• Processor Maintenance
• As with any electromechanical device, maintenance of the film processor is essential.
• If equipment is not properly maintained, the processor may fail when least expected or when
the workload is heaviest.
 Three types of maintenance programs should be included in the
QC program for an automatic film processor.

• ü Scheduled maintenance
• refers to routine procedures that are performed usually weekly or monthly.
• Such maintenance includes observation of all moving parts for wear; adjustment of all
belts, pulleys, and gears; and application of proper lubrication to minimize wear.
• During processor lubrication, it is especially important to keep the lubricant off your
hands, thereby keeping it away from film and rollers and, of course, out of processor
chemistry.
• ü Preventive maintenance
• is a planned program of parts replacement at regular intervals.
• Preventive maintenance requires that a part be replaced before it fails.
• Such a program should avoid unexpected downtime.
• ü Nonscheduled maintenance
• is, of course, the worst kind.
• A failure in the system that necessitates processor repair is a nonscheduled event.
• A proper program of scheduled maintenance and preventive maintenance keeps
nonscheduled maintenance to a minimum.
 Processor Monitoring
• At least once per day, processor operation should be observed and certain
measurements recorded.
• For the most accurate results, this monitoring should occur at the same time
every day.
• The temperature of the developer and wash water should be noted.
• Developer and fixer replenishment rates should be observed and recorded.
Radiographic Artifacts
Janine Claire D. Buco, RRT
Clinical Instructor
 Screen-Film Radiographic Artifact

01 02 03
EXPOSURE PROCESSING HANDLING
ARTIFACT ARTIFACT AND STORAGE
ARTIFACT
 Artifact

• An artifact is an undesirable OD that appears on th screen-film radiograph.

• Artifacts occur
• (1) during the radiographic exposure,
• (2) during processing of the film,
• (3) when the film is being handled and stored before or after processing.
Exposure Artifacts
• Exposure artifacts generally are associated with the manner in which the
radiographer conducts the examination.
• Incorrect screen-film match, poor screen-film contact, warped cassettes, and
improper positioning of the grid all can lead to such artifacts.
• Improper patient position, patient motion, double exposure, and incorrect screen-
film radiographic technique can result in very poor images that some would call
artifacts.
• Such examples of poor technique have been shown to result in the largest number
of repeat examinations.
 Unexpected Foreign
Object
• Caused by improper patient instructions and preparation
• Corrective Measures:
• Radiographer must properly instruct the patient.
• Patient preparation is essential for producing artifact-free
images
• Artifacts on or worn by the patient often are concealed by
clothing
• Among these items are necklaces, pendants, hearing aids,
chains, earrings, body and facial piercings, zippers and catches,
and a variety of jewelry.
• Even supposedly “radiolucent” patient change gowns can have
radiopaque parts, including traces of staining from contrast
media
• In cases of trauma, pins, fasteners, dressings, and splints often have to
remain in place because their removal could be dangerous to the patient.
• Internal artifacts from prostheses to dental fillings obviously cannot be
removed and, similar to trauma cases, this should be noted on the
examination request form. be removed and, similar to trauma cases, this
should be noted on the examination request form.
 Motion Blur
• A radiograph with motion appears blurred.
• The patient may have moved or may not have
breathed according to the radiographer’s
instructions.
• Clear instructions are required to encourage
understanding and cooperation in patients.
 Double Exposure
• When radiographers mix up cassettes, double
exposures can occur; repeat examination is
required.
 Grid Cut-off
• Positioning Error
• If the patient is positioned for examination
when the x-ray tube is not centered to the
table or Bucky tray, grid cutoff artifacts
may occur.
 Obscured detail (Poor Screen-Film Contact)
• Artifacts can occur if the wrong film is
loaded into a cassette.
• If high-contrast, single-emulsion
mammography film is loaded into a
radiographic cassette, an unexpected
image results.
• Cassettes that have not been checked
for proper screen-film contact produce
smoothness in the area of poor contact
that obscures detail and constitutes an
artifact.
PROCESSING ARTIFACTS
• Any number of screen-film radiographic artifacts can be produced during
film processing.
• Most are pressure-type artifacts caused by the transport system of the
processor.
• Pressure-type artifacts usually sensitize the emulsion and appear as higher
optical density (OD).
• Those that scrape or remove emulsion appear as lower OD.
 Roller Marks:
Guide Shoe Marks
• Guide shoe marks occur when the guide shoes in
the turnaround assembly of the processor are
sprung or improperly positioned
• If the guide shoe is used before the developer, the
ridges in the guide shoes press against the film,
sensitize it, and leave a characteristic mark.
• Guide shoe marks can be found on the leading
edge or the trailing edge of the film parallel to the
direction of film travel through the processor.
 Roller Marks: Pi Lines
• Pi lines occur at 3.1416-inch (π) intervals
because of dirt or a chemical stain on a roller,
which sensitizes the emulsion.
• Because the rollers are 1 inch in diameter,
3.1416 inches represents one revolution of a
roller, and the artifact appears perpendicular to
the film’s direction of travel through the
processor.
 Dirty rollers
• Dirty or warped rollers can cause emulsion
pick-off and gelatin buildup, which result
in sludge deposits on the film.
• These artifacts usually appear as sharp areas
of increased or reduced OD.
• Occasionally, particles of sludge are
transported through the processor and are
actually dried on the film in the dryer.
Chemical Fog: Dichroic Stain
• Chemical fog looks like light or radiation fog
and is usually a uniform dull gray.
• Improper or inadequate processing chemistry
can result in a special type of chemical fog
called a dichroic stain.
• Dichroic means two colors.
• The dichroic stain appears as a curtain effect on
the radiograph
• Dichroic stain is a term that is generally applied to
all chemical stains.
• Chemical stains on a radiograph can appear yellow, green, blue, or purple.
• In slow processors, the chemistry may not be squeezed properly from the
film, and it either runs down the leading edge of the film or runs up the
trailing edge.
• Both events are referred to as a curtain effect.
 Wet-Pressure
Sensitization
• Wet-pressure sensitization is a common
artifact that is produced in the developer
tank.
• Irregular or dirty rollers cause pressure
during development and produce small
circular patterns of increased OD.
• Processing artifacts in digital radiography (DR) are different from those with
screen-film because the method of producing the visible image is electronic
rather than chemical.
• Image-processing errors can produce bizarre artifacts in DR. Interference
with electronic components involved in processing DR images also occurs.
HANDLING AND STORAGE
ARTIFACTS
 Light or Radiation Fog
• White-light leaks in the darkroom
or within the cassette cause streak-
like artifacts of increased OD.
• If the safelight has an improper
filter, the safelight is too bright, or
the safelight is too close to the film
processing tray, the image may be
fogged.
• Films left in the x-ray examination
room during an exposure can
become fogged by radiation.
• Radiation fog and safelight fog
look alike.
• Characteristic artifacts
can be caused by
improper handling or Pressure or Kink Marks
storage either before or
after processing.
• Rough handling before
processing can cause
scratches and kink
marks
• Although the kink mark
may appear as a
fingernail mark, it is not.
• It is caused by the
kinking or abrupt
bending of film.
• Both events usually
appear as increased OD.
 Static
• Static is probably the most
obvious artifact.
• It is caused by the buildup of
electrons in the emulsion and
is most noticeable during the
winter and during periods of
extremely low humidity.
• Three distinct patterns of
static are crown, tree, and
smudge.
 Hypo Retention
• The yellow-brown stain that slowly
appears on a radiograph after a long
storage time indicates a problem
with hypo retention from the fixer.
• With this event, not all of the
residual thiosulfate from fixing was
removed during washing, and silver
sulfide slowly builds up and appears
yellow in the stored radiograph.
 Thank You
and
God Bless You!