Which practice is most effective in reducing patient dose during a radiographic procedure?

• A. Increasing the field of view with minimal collimation.
• B. Collimation to the area of interest.
• C. Raising frame rate significantly.
• D. Using higher kVp without limits.

Answer: (B)

Collimating to the area of diagnostic interest is the most effective way to reduce patient dose. Limiting the X-ray beam to just the needed region means fewer tissues are irradiated, which directly lowers the skin and organ doses. It also reduces scatter production, and less scattered radiation reaching the image receptor improves contrast, allowing the exam to be done with lower overall exposure while still obtaining a diagnostic image.

Expanding the field increases the volume irradiated and raises both direct dose and scatter, so it’s not protective. Significantly increasing frame rate would raise the number of exposures and therefore the dose. Using higher kVp without limits can degrade image quality and isn’t a safe, reliable method for reducing dose, since it may necessitate other compensations and can increase dose to some tissues while compromising diagnostic accuracy.