Concepts of Panoramic Radiography

Theory of Panoramic Imaging

DHY 202 Clinical Radiology I
Dental Hygiene Department
William Rainey Harper College

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Employs scanography (slit beam) &
tomography

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Tomography: allows radiographing in
one plane of an object while blurring or
eliminating images from structures in
other planes.
Tomo is Greek for section
View sections or radiographic slices

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Tomography
used extensively in medicine
basis for CT (computed tomography) &
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Tomogram
Client remains
stationary while xray
source & film move in
opposite directions in
a fixed relationship
through one or a
series of rotation
points. Rotation
points can be inside
or outside of the focal
trough

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Focal trough in
tomogram
Or plane of
acceptable detail, or
image layer, is the
plane that is not
blurred on the
radiograph

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Focal trough in
pantogram
Width & thickness
governed by many
factors
Objects lying within the
focal spot are shown
clearly; objects outside
are blurred

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
A panoramic
radiograph or
pantomogram is
produced using
curved-surface
tomography.

Curved
surface

Flat
surface

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Rotational panoramic
radiography is
accomplished by rotating
a narrow beam of
radiation in the horizontal
plane around an invisible
pivot point/axis
positioned intraorally.
Film & tube travel in
opposite directions
around the client

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
Client remains
stationary as xray tube
and film cassette-holder
(which are connected)
both rotate around the
client

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
A vertical, narrow
beam is used
compared with the
larger, circular or
rectangular beam
used in
conventional
intraoral
radiography

Panoramic Imaging :
General Principles
The pivot point/axis is called the
rotation center
The center of rotation changes as the
film and tubehead rotate which allows
the image layer to conform to the
elliptical shape of the dental arches

Panoramic Imaging:
Projection in the Vertical Plane
Vertical dimension unaffected by horizontal
rotation
Vertical angulation same as conventional
intraoral projection
Slight negative angulation; passes beneath
occipital area (-4 to -7 degrees)

Panoramic Imaging:
Projection in the Horizontal Plane
Horizontal image affected by
horizontal rotation of the beam
Xrays appear to diverge from
intraoral source but really originate
outside of the client
Apparent intraoral source is called
the center of rotation

Panoramic Imaging:
Projection in the Horizontal Plane

True intraoral source &

focus of projection

Uniform magnification

Effective focus of
projection

Rotating beam
projected on
stationary film

Panoramic Imaging:
Projection in the Horizontal Plane

Rotating beam and

moving film has
proportions restored

Discrepancy in
horizontal versus
vertical magnification
eliminated by using a
moving film to equalize
the magnification in the
horizontal dimension
with the vertical

Film moves in direction

opposite to the
horizontal rotation of the
beam

Panoramic Imaging:
Principles of Image Layer
Formation
Film placed on circular drum or a
moving flat cassette
Horizontal magnification is reduced
to match vertical magnification by
adjusting speed of film in respect to
projection of beam

Panoramic Imaging:
Principles of Image Layer
Formation
Vertical and horizontal
dimensions match only
when the object lies
within a particular
plane called the central
plane or sharply
depicted plane of the
image layer

Panoramic Imaging:
Principles of Image Layer
Formation
The image layer is
called the focal
trough

Panoramic Imaging:
Image Layer/Focal Trough Defined
A three-dimensional zone in which
structures are reasonably well-defined
A zone in an object defined as containing
those object points depicted with
sufficient detail to be distinguished
Determines where dental arches must be
positioned to achieve clearest image

Panoramic Imaging:
Principles of Image Layer
Formation
Objects outside this sharply depicted
plane will appear distorted, fuzzy, or
may not be visible

Panoramic Imaging:
Width of the Image Layer
Determined by
Distance from center of rotation to
central plane of image layer
Width of long, narrow slit beam
(the narrower the beam , the wider
the image layer)

Panoramic Imaging:
Position of the Image Layer
Changes in film speed alter the
position of the image layer
Increased film speed = image farther
away from rotation center
Decreased film speed = image closer to
rotation center

This is how the image layer is shaped

to center the jaws (anteriors narrower)

Panoramic Imaging:
Movement Pattern of the Xray
Beam
Movement pattern of the xray beam
chosen to obtain a favorable
projection of the jaws
Depending on the manufacturer,
number and location of rotational
centers differ

Panoramic Imaging:
Movement Pattern of the Xray
Beam
Continuously
moving
rotation
center are
most popular

Panoramic Imaging:
Image Layer Analysis
Objects closest to film will be
narrowed
Objects closest or toward the source
will be widened
Buccal objects projected lower
Lingual objects projected higher
Objects in the center of the layer are
magnified 20-30%

Panoramic Imaging:
Image Layer Analysis
Less definition than than intraoral film
More horizontal than vertical
magnification
All objects, even those outside the focal
trough are projected onto the film, but
most are not seen
Objects with the greatest density are
displayed in two places: intended image
and ghost image