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CT x-ray tubes have two focal spots, with filaments ranging from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm in diameter.
- Small focal spot: high resolution thin slices -Large: to cover large scan area have higher power ratings. (i.e abdominal scans)
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Similar to conventional x-ray tubes. Must be very durable due to the high centrifugal force as it whips around inside the gantry.
- Capable of achieving up to 800 mA.
-Generates a peak kilovoltage of 80-140 KVP. -
Tube has filtration in the form of the tube housing, cooling oil, thin copper sheets, and a bow-tie filter.
- Bow-tie filters: most objects are cylindrical so less radiation is needed on the edges, therefore the beam is concentrating towards the center. -
A component of the CT scanner that it located between the x-ray source and the patient. This limits the area of the patient being scanned which allows you to set the slice thickness.
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X-ray beam moves in a circle around the body. This allows many different views of the same organ or structure and provides much greater detail.
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The actual area of interest being selected by the Rad. Tech to be scanned which determines the number of detectors needed to collect the data.
-Must be larger than the area of interest due to any area outside SFOV will NOT be displayed. -
A patient lies on a table that moves into the CT scanner. An X-ray source rotates around the patient, taking a series of images from different angles.
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This collimator is located between the paitent and the detector array. Acting as a filter that limits the x-ray beam reaching the detectors to only the desires slice thickness. Reducing scatter and improving image quality.
- Also known as the "Post-Patient Collimator" -
Responsible for capturing the transmitted radiation converting it into electrical signal to be used for image reconstruction.
-Composed of Gas Ionizing Chambers OR Solid State -
The specific parameters and settings used to acquire a CT image, including details like the SFOV, slice thickness, reconstruction algorithm, radiation dose, and the specific body part being imaged, essentially outlining the "blueprint" for capturing a particular CT scan for diagnostic purpose
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"ADC" stands for "Apparent Diffusion Coefficient," which is a quantitative measure of how freely water molecules can move within a tissue, often used to help differentiate between healthy and abnormal tissue by assessing the level of cellular density.
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The digital image is displayed on the matrix composed of pixels arranged in rows and columns.
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A high-speed processor that accelerates the computation of images into raw data.
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Digital to analog converter helps convert the produced 1's and 0's into a visible image.
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Where imaging is displayed for techs and Radiologist to view.