How does decreasing kilovoltage peak (kVp) affect the absorbed dose to the patient?

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Multiple Choice

How does decreasing kilovoltage peak (kVp) affect the absorbed dose to the patient?

Explanation:
Lowering kVp reduces the energy of each photon, so photons are more likely to be absorbed in the patient rather than pass through. That means more of the beam’s energy is deposited in the tissues per photon. If you’re aiming for the same image receptor exposure, you typically must raise the mA or exposure time to compensate for the reduced photon quality, which adds even more energy to the patient. So, decreasing kVp generally increases the absorbed dose to the patient, whereas using higher kVp with lower mAs can reduce dose while maintaining image quality.

Lowering kVp reduces the energy of each photon, so photons are more likely to be absorbed in the patient rather than pass through. That means more of the beam’s energy is deposited in the tissues per photon. If you’re aiming for the same image receptor exposure, you typically must raise the mA or exposure time to compensate for the reduced photon quality, which adds even more energy to the patient. So, decreasing kVp generally increases the absorbed dose to the patient, whereas using higher kVp with lower mAs can reduce dose while maintaining image quality.

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