What is the impact of patient motion on dose optimization during radiographic procedures?

• A. Motion artifacts can lead to repeats and higher cumulative dose if rescans are needed.
• B. Motion always reduces patient dose.
• C. Motion artifacts have no effect on image quality.
• D. Motion artifacts are eliminated by shielding.

Answer: (A)

When a patient moves during a radiographic exam, the resulting blur or distortion lowers the image’s diagnostic quality. Because dose optimization aims to achieve acceptable images with the smallest possible exposure, operators may need to repeat the study to obtain usable data. Each repeat adds another dose of radiation, so motion artifacts drive up the cumulative dose. Shielding reduces scatter but doesn’t fix motion-related blur, and motion doesn’t inherently lower dose.