Rad technique 17 and 18

what is attenuation

reduction in x-ray in beam after passing through matter (absorption or scatter)

which interaction is a technologist most concerned with?

Compton scatter

what is the radiographer’s greatest variable?

The patient

what attenuates the beam the most?

BONE (most dense and highest atomic number)

what attenuates the least?

air/gasbone

what is the muscle that shows up on xray>

the Psoas muscle

where is the psoas muscle located?

connects spine to hips

what are the four major substances that account for density

air, fat, muscle, and bone

bone ___ photons

absorbs

what controls image quality

density, contrast (black and white), detail, and distortion

what does radiolucent mean?

transparent

what does radiopaque mean

not transparent