To reduce patient dose, exposure technique in digital imaging should be adjusted by which change?

To reduce patient dose, exposure technique in digital imaging should be adjusted by which change?

• A. Lowering kVp
• B. Increasing mAs
• C. Shortening SID
• D. Increasing kVp

Answer: (D)

Increasing kVp reduces patient dose by making the x-ray beam more penetrating, so you can lower the number of photons (mAs) needed to achieve the same detector exposure. In digital imaging, detectors handle lower contrast and still provide diagnostic quality, so you can raise kVp without sacrificing image usefulness while cutting dose. Lowering kVp would require more mAs to reach the detector, boosting dose; increasing mAs directly raises dose; shortening SID increases dose due to the inverse square law and usually necessitates more exposure to maintain receptor exposure. Therefore, raising kVp is the effective way to reduce patient dose.

Increasing kVp reduces patient dose by making the x-ray beam more penetrating, so you can lower the number of photons (mAs) needed to achieve the same detector exposure. In digital imaging, detectors handle lower contrast and still provide diagnostic quality, so you can raise kVp without sacrificing image usefulness while cutting dose. Lowering kVp would require more mAs to reach the detector, boosting dose; increasing mAs directly raises dose; shortening SID increases dose due to the inverse square law and usually necessitates more exposure to maintain receptor exposure. Therefore, raising kVp is the effective way to reduce patient dose.