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. (Author)