Radiographic TechniqueQuestion 55 of 100
An office uses photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates. A faint image from the previous patient appears on a new radiograph. What was omitted?
a.The plate was not sterilized in the autoclave
b.The plate was not soaked in disinfectant for ten minutes
c.The plate was not exposed at a higher kVp
d.The plate was not erased with the light source after scanning before being reused
Explanation
PSP plates retain latent image data until they are erased by exposure to a bright light source, so skipping the erasure step leaves a ghost of the previous image on the next radiograph. Autoclaving and prolonged soaking would destroy the plate; PSP plates are barrier-protected and disinfected according to the manufacturer's instructions instead. Raising kVp changes beam energy and does not remove residual image data.
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