RADIOGRAPHIC

FILM

JUNAID KHATIM KP
BSC RADIOTHERAPY
YSAHS
 OVERVIEW :

• X-RAY CASSETTE CONSTRUCTION

• INTENSIFYING SCREEN
• COMPUTER RADIOGRAPHY (CR)
• DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY (DR)
X-RAY CASSETTE CONSTRUCTION
 The cassette is a rigid holder for the film and screen.
 It will contain some form compression to push the
film in close contact with the screen.
 The front of the cassette is made up of radiolucent
material with low absorption.
 The back of the cassette may contain some form of
metal that can absorb x-rays that are not absorb by
the screens.
 Sometimes with cassette that don’t adequately absorb
the rays, back scatter will result from scatter radiation
from the cassette holder or nearby wall.
INTENSIFYING SCREEN

 Intensifying screen converts the remnant radiation

to light that produces the latent image. They act an
amplifier of the remnant radiation.
 Screen construction :
Four distinct layers
i. PROTECTIVE COATING
ii. PHOSPHOR
iii. REFLECTIVE LAYER
iv. BASE
PROTECTIVE COATING

 Coating is trasparent to light.

 Resistant to abrasion and damage from handling.
 Resistant to static electricity.
 Provide a surface for cleaning while protecting the
phosphors.
PHOSPHOR LAYER

 The active layer of the screen is phosphors.

 The phosphors emits light when stimulated by x-
rays.
 Prior the 1970 the most common phosphor was
crystalline form of calcium tungstate.
 Modern screens use rare earth elements such as :
I. Gadolinium
II. Lanthanum
III. Yttrium
REFLECTIVE LAYER

 The light from the phosphors is emitted isotropically.

 Without a reflective layer, one half of the light would
interact with the film.
 The reflective layer redirects the light to the film.
 Some screens have special dyes that absorb the light
photons coming at a large angles.
 These photons would increase the image blur.
 Only the photons perpendicular to the film are emitted.
The dye increases spatial resolution but reduce speed.
BASE

 The base is the layer farthest from the film.

 It is usually made of polyster.
 The base should be :
I. Rugged and moisture resistant
II. Cannot be damage be radiation or discoloration
III. Chemically inert, flexible and free of impurities
COMPUTER RADIOGRAPHY (CR)

 Photostimulable phosphor plate.

 Radiation causes electrons to move to higher energy state
– excitation.
 Plate’s structure traps electrons in higher energy states -
form latent image.
 Laser scans plate with
 Laser releases electrons trapped in higher energy states.
 Electrons fall to low energy states giving up energy as
visible light.
 Light intensity is measure of incident radiation.
READING IMAGING PLATE

 Reader scans plate with laser.

 Beam moved using rotating mirror.
 Plate pulled through scanner by rollers.
 Light emitted by plate measured by PM tube and
recorded by computer.
DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY (DR)

 Receptor provides direct digital output.

 No processor/reader required.
- Images available virtually immediately
- Far fewer steps for radiographer
 Digital radiography uses two types of detectors :
* DIRECT DETECTORS
* INDIRECT DETECTORS