Radiology Case

Figure 1	Figure 2

Figure 1: The first artifact was created by rough handling, bending or fingernail marking of the film, before or after exposure, but before processing. Careful handling of the film while loading and unloading the cassettes will help to prevent this artifact.1Figure 2: The second artifact is a marker that has a double image present. One is sharp and the other is ill defined. This is caused by a phenomenon called scatter. The cause of the artifact is believed to be forward scattering of radiation, off of the floor, which particularly close to the cassette. The exposure of the "L" with crisp borders is from a small amount of scatter from the primary beam as it penetrates the cassette. It is common to see this artifact when radiographing an equine foot against the floor or if the tube is aimed at the floor. This artifact can also occur while radiographing a body part away from the floor. Forward scatter off of the object being radiographed causes this. Scattered x-rays can significantly contribute to fogging of the film, which causes decreased contrast, and diagnostic quality of the radiograph.

Artifacts in Radiology are important to identify and understand so the cause of the process can be corrected and the artifact not be mistaken for pathology.

The images are courtesy of Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Radiology.

Dr. John Feleciano, DVM, DACVR
Dr. Renee Leveille, DVM, DACVR

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