A survey on exposure parameters variation due to aging in radiology devices

Abstract

The inevitable use of medical imaging examinations and lack of a suitable alternative lead to the need to control and minimize the amount of radiation from such artificial medical sources. To assess the relation between exposure parameters and lifetime of radiology devices, quality control tests were carried out on 13 radiology devices in 11 general hospitals. In this study, a barracuda dosimeter, SE-43137 Sweden, was cali-brated to measure and record the quantities of kVp, mAs and exposure parameters. In all the devices using applying the minimum and maximum values of kVp, the minimum and maximum values of the internal resistances were calculated. The lowest mR/ mA for the device C was observed at a flow rate of 200 mA (equal to 2,425), while the highest value was for the device A (2) at a current intensity of 200 mA (equal to 14.625). By increasing the age of the device, the output of the device is reduced. Therefore, to compensate for this decrease in the output, higher exposure conditions are usually applied to the device, which can greatly increase the damage to the device.