Anatomical Programming & Techniques

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ANATOMICAL PROGRAMMING This features sounds too good to be true and often results in more confusion than results. The major problem is building in the mind of the operator that a preprogrammed factory technique will provide the desired image "every time all the time". It just doesn't work that way.

Recall that the following are but some of the factors that can affect the image density on a film:

	X-ray tube emission...all tubes have different emission characteristics, including inherent filtration
	SID...Source to image distance
	Grid ratio
	For a given cm thickness, the machine does not know if you are radiographing muscle or fatty tissue. Absorption is quite different.
	Table top material (different tops absorb differently)
	Collimator added filtration
	Film screen combination
	Specific type of film e.g. (latitude versus high contrast)
	Fully open versus "tightly collimated" collimator
	Brand of film processor..and associated immersion time
	Temperature of developer
	Type of film...high contrast or wide latitude
	Brand of chemistry
	Radiologist's density preference

Therefore, it is all but impossible for any manufacturer to build a "one size fits all" factory program for technique that will fit any given facility. Probably the biggest advantage is giving any operator the ability to begin at the same starting point. This is particularly valuable for facilities that have different operators, especially emergency clinics where the equipment is utilized 24/7.

The manufacturer does give the owner the opportunity to change the default techniques and save them so the machine will default to the new settings. The obvious problem is that a film processor can shift a significant percentage in efficiency during a 3 to 4 week period. You can even see a shift during a weekend where no replenishment takes place for a few days.

One of the biggest advantages in ordering Anatomical Programming is for digital radiography. Since the final technique is computed by the software algorithms, having an Anatomical Technique that provides sufficient radiation to capture the raw data generally will drastically reduce retakes. This becomes another big advantage to digital radiology.

Last Updated 05/23/08