Analogous filters for beam shaping in diagnostic radiology.
A computer simulation based on photon transport calculation was used to evaluate the properties of a wide variety of materials that could be used for the filtration of x-ray beams. A single filter was added to the inherent filtration. For comparison, the concept of analogous filters was introduced: two filters were considered analogous if both produced the same ratio of entrance exposure at the patient to the energy absorbed in the detector consisting of a pair of intensifying screens positioned immediately behind the water phantom. The efficiency, contrast and integral dose were calculated for filters of odd atomic numbers from 1 to 91 with a large number of different parameters (48,600 different combinations). They include essentially all major diagnostic radiology procedures, except mammography. Only extreme cases are presented here. No magic filter was found which would produce increased contrasts or a decreased integral dose, while maintaining efficiency close to that of aluminium. Filters of some atomic numbers produced increased contrast, but had negligible efficiency. Analogous filters of atomic numbers between 7 and 37 and also between 71 and 91, had almost identical properties but varied efficiencies. Unpredictable behaviour was obtained with filters of atomic numbers 38 to 70, where small changes in atomic number may produce large changes in all the properties due to the presence of K-edge discontinuities.