American Society of Radiologic Technologist (ASRT) Practice Exam

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What is the primary cause of decreased spatial resolution on radiographs?

Failure to use a grid
Incorrect milliampere-seconds (mAs)
Patient motion
Improper kilovoltage peak (kVp) selection

The correct answer is: Improper kilovoltage peak (kVp) selection

Decreased spatial resolution on radiographs primarily results from patient motion during the exposure. When a patient moves, the imaging system captures a blurred image, which reduces the detail and clarity that can be identified in the radiograph. Motion can occur due to involuntary actions (like breathing) or voluntary actions (such as repositioning), and it's crucial for imaging technologists to minimize these movements through instruction and positioning techniques. While improper kilovoltage peak (kVp) selection can affect the quality of the image by influencing contrast and penetration, it does not directly lead to a loss of spatial resolution in the same way that patient motion does. The other factors mentioned, such as milliamperes-seconds (mAs) and the failure to use a grid, can impact image quality but are not the primary causes of decreased spatial resolution, which is fundamentally impacted by blurring that occurs from motion during image capture.