Exam 10: Quality Control for Digital Radiography

In a PACS, a mismatch between the image header and image database information from RIS generates what are known as "exceptions, " "broken studies, " or "orphans."

Sometimes improper operation of the ____ system is the underlying cause of a failure to detect the radiation field.

When ____________________ in performance is observed, and corrective action is taken, it is important to verify that performance has returned to normal levels.

For cassette-based systems, the duration of erasure could be too short or the intensity of the erasure could be too low, perhaps from burned out erasure ____________________.

The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard specifies the format and content of the ____________________ file.

As fewer x-rays are used to produce a DR image, the image appears less and less noisy.

Technologists are quick to learn that physicians are less likely to reject overexposed DR images than underexposed DR images.

Each QC system has some sort of registration device that allows direct manual input of demographic and exam information.

Even with a proper erasure cycle, gross overexposure on the previous exam can leave which of the following?

In the United States, the specifics of QC for digital ____________________ are mandated by the federal government under the Mammography Quality and Standards Act.

A properly calibrated ____________________ indicator could be used to conduct periodic checks of the automatic exposure control (AEC).

Bad electronic images can disappear without a trace; bad films can also disappear, but leave which of the following?

If the operator interface to the machine is extremely complex, ____________________ errors will increase exponentially.

The tendency to increase exposure by using higher technique factors than indicated on the technique guide for manual exams and by using plus density settings on AEC exams is an example of ____.

What can build up over time on DR receptors from environmental sources of radiation?

In DR, demographic and exam data accompany the DR image in an electronic file header. What is this called?

Some errors are the result of improper practice by the technologist, such as incorrect technique factor selection and artifacts from patient clothing or jewelry that interfere with the projected ____________________.

Having considered specific QC activities that can help monitor and improve image quality, it is useful to construct a table that identifies each QC task and the party responsible for performing the task. What is this table called?

Which calibration for nonuniformity must be repeated on a periodic basis?

Technologist supervisors learn quickly to count how many films are in the box at the start-of shift, count again at the end-of-shift, and compare against the number of views produced by all exams during the shift.