3. Portable - refers to a small hand held unit, first designed by
Picker for WW I
• 15 ma generator
• Chest & extremities
Mobile - Full powered institutional units much heavier - motor
or muscle driven
Fluoroscopic:
• C-arm and “Mini C-arm” or Fluoroscan
• PORTABLE is accepted terminology
THREE Basic types of Units
4. Portable Units - Special Features
Battery Powered
Uses two different sets of batteries (lead-acid, or nickel-cadmium):
• One powers driving of machine
• One set provides power to x-ray tube
Fully charged batteries:
• can make 10 to 15 exposures
Capacitor-Discharged
• No batteries
• Carries two metal plates that hold electrical charge
• Capacitor units must be charged prior to each use
High Frequency
• Converts AC to DC - resulting in high voltage ripple 60 Hz-500
4
5. Battery Powered
Advantages:
• Cordless
• Provide constant kVp and mAs
Disadvantages:
• Heavy
• Hard to control
Capacitor-Discharged
Advantages :
• lightweight, smaller and easier to maneuver
• Require much less time to charge than battery units
Disadvantages
• Can’t handle thick body parts due to voltage drop during exposure
• must be charged prior to each use
Portable Units - Special Features
6. Mobile X-Ray Machines
• Typical unit has what 2 controls?
kVp and mAs
• What is the mAs range?
Generally 0.04 to 320 mAs
What is the kVp range?
Generally 40 to 130 kVp
8. 3 important technical factors that must be clearly
understood to perform optimum mobile examinations:
– Grid
– Anode-heel effect
– Source–to–image receptor (SID)
Mobile X-Ray Machines
9. Grid
• Must be level!
• X-ray beam must be properly centered to grid
• Correct focal distance must be used
• (Best grids for mobile radiography have ratios of 6:1 or 8:1 and a
focal range of 36 - 44 inches)
13. Anode Heel Effect
• Correct placement of anode-cathode
(usually marked on tube housing) with
respect to anatomy
• Anode should be on thinner part (T-spine)
• Heel effect increases with short SID, larger
field sizes (more common in mobile
radiography)
Beam travels through
thicker part of target on
anode side, thus
attenuating beam more
14. SID- Mobile Units
• What is standard SID?
– 40
– Possible problems with greater SID?
• requires increased mAs, which results in longer
exposure time
– Increases risk of imaging motion
– Increased drain on battery
– Possible grid cut-off
15. Safest Place to Stand
Least exposure is at what angle
to Patient table and primary
beam?
Right angle
19. Imperforate anus (prone invertogram)
• An imperforate anus or anal atresia is a birth defect in which the
rectum is malformed. Its cause is unknown
• A lateral (ventral decubitus) projection is selected using a horizontal
beam. This allows intraluminal air to rise and fill the most distal
bowel to assess the level of atresia. Radiography should not be
performed less than 24 hours after birth.
Photograph of position of baby for lateral abdomen ventral decubitus
20. Position of patient and cassette
• The infant should be placed in the prone position, with the
pelvis and buttocks raised on a triangular covered foam pad or
rolled-up nappy.
• The infant should be kept in this position for approximately
10–15 minutes.
• The cassette is supported vertically against the lateral aspect
of the infant’s pelvis, and adjusted parallel to the median
sagittal plane.
21. Direction and centring of the X-ray beam
The horizontal central ray is directed to the centre of the cassette.
Note
• A lead marker is taped to the skin in the anatomical area
where the anus would normally be sited. The distance
between this and the most distal air-filled bowel can then be
measured.
high obstruction with
lead pellets at
anatomical position of
anus
Central ray & Respiration