Measurement of scatter fractions in erect posteroanterior and lateral chest radiography.

Abstract

Scatter fractions (SFs) measured in patients undergoing erect posteroanterior (PA) and lateral chest radiography with a 12:1 antiscatter grid are reported. Modifications to the posterior beam-stop (PBS) technique allowed measurement of scatter in these patients, without altering the diagnostic image and without additional radiation exposure. The SF measurements are reported by anatomic location on 42 clinical chest images. Average SF values ranged from 0.27 to 0.90 on lateral radiographs and from 0.27 to 0.68 on PA radiographs. Scatter measurements with the 12:1 grid were found to be greater than estimates from previous PA chest phantom experiments. To the authors' knowledge, they were the first to measure radiation scatter with the PBS technique in patients undergoing PA and lateral chest radiography with the antiscatter grid.