Computed Tomography Technologist Practice Exam 2025 - Free CT Technologist Practice Questions and Study Guide

Beam hardening is a phenomenon that occurs in computed tomography (CT) when lower-energy photons are absorbed by tissues and structures within the body, leading to the remaining X-ray beams being of higher energy. This can result in artifacts that affect image quality. To mitigate the effects of beam hardening, CT scanners employ several strategies.

Filtration is a technique that uses materials to absorb lower-energy photons before they reach the patient. This helps to ensure that only higher-energy photons contribute to the imaging process, reducing the likelihood of beam hardening artifacts. Calibration correction involves adjusting the scanner's output to account for variations in beam quality across different penetrations in tissues, further addressing the issue. Additionally, beam hardening correction software can dynamically adjust for the presence of artifacts during image reconstruction by using algorithms designed to compensate for the effects of beam hardening in the acquired data.

The other options focus on different aspects of CT scanning. Timing adjustments are more related to the temporal aspects of the scanning process rather than beam hardening directly. Multi-slice acquisition refers to the ability of modern CT scanners to obtain multiple slices of data simultaneously, which primarily enhances the speed and detail of imaging but does not specifically target beam hardening. Analog signal processing pertains to the conversion and handling of