High Level Fluoroscopy (HLF):
High level fluoro improves image quantity by reducing image noise. It does this by increasing the number of photons filling in the picture. The number of x-ray photons emitted at a given kV is proportional to the mA. The mechanism for improving image quality by increasing mA (dose) is illustrated below. Essentually, the more dots (x-ray photons) the better the image quality.
The downside of improving image quality by use of HLF is that patient and staff doses are substantially higher than if standard fluoroscopy is used. The use of HLF should therefore be restricted to cases where it provides a clear clinical benefit. For some facilites, HLF is disabled to limit the dangers of overuse. If HLF is enabled, a 30 second timeout ensures that the Operator is aware of the time duration of unit operation. The timeouts also ensure that the tube ratings are not exceeded.
High level fluoro improves image quantity by reducing image noise. It does this by increasing the number of photons filling in the picture. The number of x-ray photons emitted at a given kV is proportional to the mA. The mechanism for improving image quality by increasing mA (dose) is illustrated below. Essentually, the more dots (x-ray photons) the better the image quality.
The downside of improving image quality by use of HLF is that patient and staff doses are substantially higher than if standard fluoroscopy is used. The use of HLF should therefore be restricted to cases where it provides a clear clinical benefit. For some facilites, HLF is disabled to limit the dangers of overuse. If HLF is enabled, a 30 second timeout ensures that the Operator is aware of the time duration of unit operation. The timeouts also ensure that the tube ratings are not exceeded.