Resident Physics Lectures

X-ray Filters
Prof. J.K Tonui, PhD

School of Medicine,
Department of Radiology & Imaging
 Learning Objectives
 At the end of this lecture, the student is expected to:

 Describe the purpose of filtration.

 State and explain the different types of filtration.

 Describe types of filter materials and specifications.

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 Introduction
 Filtration

 Is the process of shaping x-ray beam in order

 To increase the ratio of x-ray photons that are useful for

imaging than those photons that increase the patient dose.

 The device that is used for filtration

 Is called a filter.

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 X-ray Energy Spectrum
 Diagnostic x-ray beam is polychromatic,

and consists of:

 Bremsstrahlung, and

 Characteristics.

 The spectrum energy range

 From 0 – kVp set by generator, and

 Mean energy lies between 1/3 to ½ of peak

kVp, hence
 Most photon fall in low energy range.

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 Unfiltered Beams
 As radiation passes thro’ the pt., X-ray
beam

 Most of low energy photons are absorbed in

first few cm of body tissue and

Patient
 The low energy photons are selectively

removed, but
film
 The high energy photons penetrate thro’

pt. body to form radiographic image.

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 Unfiltered Beams
 Low energy x-ray photon are absorbed in pt.’s body, hence

 Do not contribute to image formation because they don’t reach

film, but

 Do contribute to pt. dose, which depends on No. of photons

absorbed by pt. body, hence

 The first cm of tissue receive much more radiation than rest of

patient’s body.

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 Need for Filtration
 The tissues at the entrance,

 Can be protected by removing or absorbing the lower energy photons

from the beam before they reach the patient, and

 Is usually done by interposing a filter material between patient and x-ray

tube, and

 Filters are made from

 Filter are made from sheets of Al or Cu or combination and

 Their main purpose in diagnostic radiology is to reduce patient’s dose.

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 Ideal Filtration
 Characteristic of an ideal filter are:

 Must not absorb high energy x-rays, but

 Should absorb ALL low energy x-rays.

 Such filters

 Use high atomic number (Z) materials;

 In order to increases photoelectric (PE)

PE  Z 3
absorption of low energy photons. 1
PE  3
E

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 Filter’s Function
 A filter is used to shape the energy

spectrum of x-ray beam and X-ray

beam
 It works by selectively attenuating the

low energy x-ray photons, so that Patient

 No or less low energy radiation reach

the pt. because

 They deposit their energy in the filter Film
hence don reach the patient.

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 Locations of Filters
 Diagnostic x-rays are filtered by absorbers

placed at different levels/position:

X-Rays

1. Inherent filtration – occurs at x-ray tube and

Tabletop

housing ports

2. Added filtration – occurs in metal sheets

placed in the path of radiation
Filter
3. Couch or Table - for under-table tube Lamp

fluoroscopy.

4. Collimator Mirror – use for positioning

Light

Tabletop

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 Inherent Filtration
 Involves absorption of x-

rays by the tube parts:

Glass insert;

Insulating oil, and

Housing window.

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 Inherent Filtration
 Is measured in aluminum (Al) equivalent, which

 Is the thickness of Al that would produce same degree of attenuation as

material in question, and
 Typical Inherent Filtration is 0.5 – 1.0 mm Al equivalent, which

 Are contributed mostly by the glass insert envelope.

Insert
Insulating Oil
Window
glass insert envelope

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 Exceptional cases
 Few special cases desire unfiltered radiation

 Because filtration increases mean energy of x-ray beam (harden beam) and decreases

tissue contrast, and

 Decrease in contrast is insignificant in high energy range, but

 Below 30 kVp (e.g. in mammography), loss of contrast is detrimental to image

quality, and
 For this reason, mammography x-ray units use beryllium (Z = 4) window to

produce unfiltered beam, because

 Beryllium is more transparent to low energy than glass hence have minimum

inherent filtration.
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 Added Filtration
 In Added filtration
 Metal plates are placed intentionally on the path of x-ray beam to obstruct them,
hence removes low energy photons in the beam, and
 The plates are placed on a device in the x-ray equipment called a Collimator Unit.

Added Filter

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 Effects of Added Filtration
 Filtration

 Decreases beam intensity but increases mean beam energy,

because
o Low energy radiation are removed

 Slightly decreases contrast at usual kVp range

o Lowest energy photons cannot penetrate patient to reach film

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 Practical Added Filters
 Made usually from aluminum

 Most common

 Atomic # 13

 Low-Cost (inexpensive)

 Can also be made from copper

 Good for high kVp

 Atomic # 29
Collimator
 Or sometime as combination of Al & Cu Unit

 Aluminum absorbs copper’s 8 keV characteristic radiation

 Cu is used to cut down filter thickness only

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 Compound Filter
 When Cu is used in combination with Al,
 Layers are arranged such that

o high-Z metal (Cu) faces x-ray tube and

o Low-Z metal (Al) faces patient.

 The layers are arranged this way because

 P.E attenuation in Cu produces characteristic x-rays of energy 8 keV, which

 Is energetic enough to reach the pt. and increases skin dose, but

 The Al plate placed towards pt. absorbs this x-ray photons, which

 In turn produce its characteristic x-rays on of energy 1.5 keV, but

 Are easily absorbed in the air gap between the filter and patient hence will not reach the
patient.

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 Filter Thickness
 First, select the filter material, say Al

 The first cm of the filter thickness is most effective in absorbing

low energy x-ray photons, but

 Each additional cm has less filtering effect than the previous cm,

hence
 Thick filters (about 10 mm) lead to excessive filtration, and

 Normally a bout 3 mm thick filter is adequate.

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 Filters: The Good & Bad Sides
 Disadvantages:

 Reduces beam intensity

o Filters absorb some photons at all energy level and must be compensated for loss

of higher energy photons by increasing exposure factors (mAs)

 Increases

o Tube loading and

o Exposure time hence may lead to patient motion during imaging.

 Advantage:

 Gross reduction in patient dose by about 80% typically.

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 Filtration vs. HVL
 Filtration

 Gives equivalent absorber present in beam, and

 Whatever is actually in the beam filters as if it is ?? mm of

aluminum

 Half Value Layer (HVL)

 Gives amount of absorber (aluminum) which reduces beam

intensity by exactly 50%, and

 Easy to measure
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 Half Value Layer (HVL)
kVp HVL
 HVL depends upon
(mm Al)
30 0.3
 kVp 40 0.4
49 0.5
 waveform (single/three phase) 50 1.2
60 1.3
 inherent & added filtration 70 1.5
71 2.1
80 2.3
 Note that
90 2.5
100 2.7
 Minimum HVL regulated by law 110 3.0
120 3.2
 Max. HVL regulated only in mammography 130 3.5
140 3.8
150 4.1
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 Example - Al filtration of 90 kVp
 Unfiltered x-ray beam

 Have mean energies in 10 – 20 keV with peak at 25 keV.

 Filtration

 Removes all photons in area between solid and dash curves.

 Note that

 Filtration selectively remove low energy (left) than high

energy (right), hence

 Intensity on the left is reduced more than on right and

 The peak shift from 25 to 35 keV, as shown in fig.

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 Wedge Filters
 Wedge filters

 Are filters with a shape like a wedge, as shown in fig. below and

 Are used in conjunction with body parts that vary in thickness,

in order
 To obtain uniform film density when large change in patient

thickness over image field, e.g. long-leg angiography.

Filter shaped
like a wedge

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 Wedge Filter - Application
 A wedge filter

 Is used to compensate for differences in thickness of body

part being image (i.e. thick and thin parts), where

 The thick body part is positioned on the thin part of

wedge and thin body part is positioned on thick part of

wedge, so that
 Less radiation is absorbed by thinner part, so more

available to penetrate the thick part of the patient, and

 Is normally used in lower-limb angiography when imaging

from lower abdomen to angle with single exposure

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 Wedge Filters
 Chest filters

 Use contoured filter for lung

fields as shown.

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 “Heavy Metal” Filters
 Not common

 Controversial

 Reduces beam intensity

 Requires high speed imaging systems and/or high capacity tubes.

 K-edge matching

 Designed to provide many photons near k-edge of barium or iodine, which

 Enhances contrast of barium or iodine, and

 I and Ba are used as contrast agents for intestinal imaging.

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 Heavy Metal Filter Claims
 Have narrower spectrum

 Reduction of low energies reduces patient dose

 By a factor of 2 or more theoretically possible

 Reduction of high energies (k-edge absorption) improves

contrast

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 Mammography Beam
 Molybdenum target produces

 17.5 & 19.6 keV characteristic radiation, and

 Considerable Bremsstrahlung above 20 keV, but

 Higher energy Bremsstrahlung reduces contrast

 Molybdenum added filter

 Use 0.030 mm thick typically, and

 Produce high attenuation above

Linear
19.6 keV k-edge, hence Attenuation
Coefficient
 Attenuates Bremsstrahlung, but

 Much lower attenuation for 17.5 & 19.6 characteristic

radiation (used for mammography imaging) Energy

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