Quality Control of Radiography Equipments in Golestan Province of IRAN

Khoshbin Khoshnazar, Alireza; Hejazi, Peyman; Mokhtarian, Milad; Nooshi, Shahin

doi:10.22038/ijmp.2013.917

Quality Control of Radiography Equipments in Golestan Province of IRAN

Document Type : Original Paper

Authors

Alireza Khoshbin Khoshnazar ¹

Peyman Hejazi ²

Milad Mokhtarian ³

Shahin Nooshi ⁴

¹ Medical Physicist, Department of Biochemistry and Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences.

² Medical Physicist, Department of Pharmacology and Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical sciences

³ Radiology Technologist, 5th Azar Hospital, Golestan University of Medical Sciences.

⁴ Health Engineer, Health Affair of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan University of Medical Sciences

10.22038/ijmp.2013.917

Abstract

Introduction
The main goal of this study was to perform quality control test on all radiography units operating in Golestan province of IRAN.
Materials and Methods
Forty-four X-ray units were examined based on general accepted programs for quality control. Eight parameters including kVp accuracy, kVp reproducibility, mA-time reciprocity, exposure linearity, exposure reproducibility, timer accuracy, filtration, and beam alignment were measured and calculated. Measurements were carried out by a Baracuda X-ray beam analyzer.
Results
Variance of kVp reproducibility was acceptable in 100% of equipments. kVp accuracy was found to be unsatisfactory in 29.5% of equipments. Variance of mA-time reciprocity was measured to be within reliable limits. Thirty-nine percent of radiography equipments showed non-linear exposure attitude while 16.7 % of them exhibited unacceptable reproducibility of exposure. Moreover, beam misalignment was met in 29.5% of equipments. In 43.2% of radiography equipments, timer accuracy was out of permissible range.
Conclusion
Timer inaccuracy seems to be a common problem for X-ray units. Exposure non-linearity, mA-time non-reciprocity, kVp inaccuracy, beam misalignment, and finally non-reproducibility of exposure were found to have less importance.

Keywords

Golestan Province

Quality Control

Radiography Equipment

Subjects