Lecture 14b X-Ray Grids

Resident Physics Lectures
Radiographic Grids
Prof. J.K Tonui, PhD
School of Medicine,
Department of Radiology & Imaging
Learning Outcomes
 At the end of this lecture, the student is expected to:
 Explain various grid errors or cut-offs and their causes.
 Describe how moving grids work, and why are they preferred
over stationary types.

 State the factors used in the selection of grids.
 Describe air gap technique for reducing scatter.
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Introduction
 A Grid
 A device placed between the pt. and film for the purpose of
absorbing scatter radiation before it can interact with the

imaging receptor, e.g. X-ray film and
 First grid was made by Dr. Gustav Bucky in 1913 (used cross-
hatched), and
 Was modified by Dr. Hollis E. Potter in 1920 (used linear)

Creating the Image
 Transmission
 Responsible for dark areas
 Absorption
 Responsible for light areas
 Scatter
 Creates fog
 Lowers contrast
 Increases as
 kV increases
 Field size increases
 Thickness of part increases
 Z# decreases

Position of the Grid
 The grid
 Is placed between pt. (behind table or
upright bucky) & cassette, as shown

in Fig.,and
 If placed BACWARDS CAN CAUSE
GRID ERRORS, and

 Is recommended for use with body
parts >10 cm.

Grids
 Grids
 Allow primary radiation to reach
the image receptor (IR)

 Absorb most scattered radiation
 Primary disadvantage of grid use
o Grid lines on film

Digital Imaging Systems
 Digital imaging systems
 Use very high-frequency grids
o 103-200 lines/in
o 41-80 lines/cm
 Recommended for use with digital systems
o Minimizes grid line appearance

Grid Disadvantages
 Two disadvantages
 Increased patient dose
o i.e. increase amount of radiation pt. receives because it requires
exposure factors to be increased
 Positioning critical
o Require careful centering because poor positioning results in grid
cutoffs or errors, and

o Loss of primary radiation because images of lead strips projected wider

Grid Errors
 Proper alignment between x-ray tube and grid
 Very important
 Improper alignment will result in cut-off
 Off-level
 Off-center
 Off-focus
 Upside-down
 Moire effect

Grid Cutoff
 Grid cutoff
 Is loss of primary radiation that occurs when images of lead strips
are projected than would be with ordinary magnification.
 Four types of grid cutoff
1. Focused grids used upside down;

2. Lateral decentering (or angulation);
3. Focus-grid distance decentering, and
4. Combined lateral & focus-grid distance decentering
Upside Down Focused Grid
 Use inverted focus grid
 It produces severe peripheral cutoff with
 Dark exposed band in center of film and
 No exposure at film periphery (edges)
 When grid ratio is high, area exposed is
narrow
 When crossed grid is used upside down,
small area in the middle is only exposed.

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8/19/2019
Lateral Decentering
Focal Displacement
 Lateral decentering
 Is when x-ray tube is positioned lateral to
convergent line but at correct focal

distance
 Uniform loss of radiation over entire film
 Produce uniformly light radiograph, but
 Dangerous because there is no
recognizable characteristic in the film

Lateral Decentering
 Occurs also when grid at correct
position but tilted, and

 It also produce uniform loss of intensity
and no other clinical clues, and

 May be mistaken for technique
problems, but
 Can be compensated for by over-
exposing pt.

Lateral Decentering
 Magnitude of cutoff increases with
 Higher grid ratio,
 Greater decentering distance, and
 Smaller focal distances
 Loss of primary radiation is calculated by the equation:

rb
L   100
f0
L = loss of primary radiation (%)
r = grid ratio
b = lateral decentering distance (inches)
fo = focal distance of grid (inches)
Lateral Decentering
 Significant problem in portable radiography,
 Because it can be compensate by over-exposing the patient
 Note that
 The exact centering not possible
 To minimize the lateral decentering, use
 Low ratio grids, and
 Long focal distances

Distance Decentering
 Distance decentering
 Occurs when the grid is either too close or too far from focal
spot, and
 Produces darker center of the film.
 All parallel grids have some degree of distance decentering,
because
 Focused to infinity

 Far focus-grid •Near focus-grid
decentering decentering
 target below convergent line
 Target above convergent line
 cutoff more severe than far
decentering
X
 Far focus-grid
•Near focus-grid
decentering decentering
•Cutoff at periphery
 dark center
•cutoff proportional
to
 grid ratio
 decentering
distance
Minimizing Distance Decentering Cutoff
 To minimize distance decentering
cut-off, use
 low grid ratio, and
 small fields

Combined lateral and focus-grid distance
decentering
 Easy to recognize because
 It produces uneven exposure,
and
 The film is lighter on one end,
and darker on the other end as

seen in this Fig.
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Combined lateral and focus-grid distance
decentering
 Cutoff proportional to
 Grid ratio, and
 Decentering distance
 Cutoff inversely proportional to grid
focal distance, hence

 Less cutoff for longer focus grids, and
 Greater for shorter focus grids.

Moving Grids
 The moving grids
 Were invented by Dr. Hollis Potter in 1920, and
 As such are also referred as Potter-Bucky diaphragm.
 All stationary grids
 Form lines on the radiograph by absorbing primary x-rays, but
 Thinner Pb strips are less noticeable lines, and
 Since thinner strips have less Pb content, result in poor
“cleaning up” of scatter x-rays as well.

Moving Grids
 Moving grids
 Are used to both reduce appearance of
grid lines on the radiograph as well as

reducing scatter x-rays so as to realize
high quality images.
 Motion
 Starts with second trigger and blurs out
lead strip shadows.

Moving Grids
 The moving grid
 Uses focused grid, and
 Is placed in a holding mechanism that
begins moving just before the x-ray

exposure and continues moving after
the exposure ends, and
 Uses 2 types of movement:
o Reciprocating &
o Oscillating.

Moving Grids
 Grid motion is such that
 Reciprocating – motor drives the grid back and forth during
exposure.
 Oscillating - electromagnet pulls grid to one side and releases it
during exposure
 Note that
 Most grids are moving, except for portable imaging, and
 For 1 generators grid motion must not synchronize with pulses

Grid Tradeoff
 Advantage
 cleanup/scatter rejection
 Disadvantage
 Increases patient dose;
 Increases exposure time;
 Increases tube loading;
 Positioning & centering more critical, and
 $$$ (i.e. adds the cost)

Grid Selection
 Factors considered are:
 Patient Dose (mAs changes)
 Exam
 Detail required
 Part thickness
 Desired technique (kVp)
o Use low R for low kVp and high R of high kVp (books recommend 8:1
below 90 kVp and 12:1 above 90 kVp
 Equipment availability
Air Gap Technique
 Air gap technique
 Is also called air filtration
 Increase OID by 10 to 15 cm
 This reduces the amount of scatter reaching the IR because
some scatter will miss the IR.

 It is about the same as using an 8:1 grid
 mAs is increased 10% for every cm of air gap
 Increases magnification and reduction in detail. Has some
selective uses with chest imaging and cerebral angiography

Air Gap Technique
Angles of
 Principle escape
 radiation scatters uniformly
 decrease in scatter (most scatter misses
film)
o air gap decreases angle of capture; increases
angle of escape as shown in this Fig.
 Negligible attenuation in air gap

Air Gap Technique
 Air gap
 Is very effective in removing scatter originating closest to film
because much of scatter nearest tube doesn’t reach film
Much attenuation Air gap decreases

of scatter in the body capture angle

Air Gap Technique
 Problems:
 Increased OID = increase
in blur
 Must increase SID
 Motion due to lack of
contact to IR

Air Gap Applications
 Magnification radiography including mammography
 geometry causes air gap
 Air Gap Chest Radiography
 air gap used as alternative to grid, and
 SID increased from 6 feet to 10 feet to maintain geometric
unsharpness
 Grid not used with air gap

Air Gap Optimization
 Air gap more effective for thicker body parts
 First inch of air gap most effective in contrast improvement
 Image sharpness deteriorates with increasing gap
(magnification)
 compensate with
o greater SID
o smaller focal spot

Lecture 14b X-Ray Grids

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Resident Physics Lectures

 Explain various grid errors or cut-offs and their causes.

over stationary types.

 Describe air gap technique for reducing scatter.

2 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

absorbing scatter radiation before it can interact with the

3 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

4 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Is placed between pt. (behind table or

upright bucky) & cassette, as shown

GRID ERRORS, and

parts >10 cm.

5 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Allow primary radiation to reach

the image receptor (IR)

 Primary disadvantage of grid use

o Grid lines on film

6 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Use very high-frequency grids

 Recommended for use with digital systems

o Minimizes grid line appearance

7 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Increased patient dose

o i.e. increase amount of radiation pt. receives because it requires

exposure factors to be increased

o Require careful centering because poor positioning results in grid

cutoffs or errors, and

8 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Improper alignment will result in cut-off

9 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Is loss of primary radiation that occurs when images of lead strips

are projected than would be with ordinary magnification.

 Four types of grid cutoff

1. Focused grids used upside down;

 It produces severe peripheral cutoff with

 Dark exposed band in center of film and

 No exposure at film periphery (edges)

 When grid ratio is high, area exposed is

 When crossed grid is used upside down,

small area in the middle is only exposed.

 Is when x-ray tube is positioned lateral to

convergent line but at correct focal

 Uniform loss of radiation over entire film

 Produce uniformly light radiograph, but

 Dangerous because there is no

recognizable characteristic in the film

12 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

position but tilted, and

and no other clinical clues, and

13 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 Higher grid ratio,

 Greater decentering distance, and

 Smaller focal distances

 Loss of primary radiation is calculated by the equation:

 Because it can be compensate by over-exposing the patient

 The exact centering not possible

 To minimize the lateral decentering, use

 Low ratio grids, and

 Long focal distances

15 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 All parallel grids have some degree of distance decentering,

16 RIB 810, 811 & 812 Imaging Physics 8/19/2019

 To minimize distance decentering