American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Practice Exam

As KVP increases, what happens to the quality of radiation produced?

1. It decreases

2. It remains the same

3. It increases

4. It fluctuates

The correct answer is: It increases

When the kilovolt peak (KVP) increases, the quality of radiation produced improves significantly. Higher KVP results in radiation that has greater energy and penetrating power. This is crucial in radiologic imaging because higher-quality radiation can more effectively penetrate different tissues and structures within the body, leading to clearer and more diagnostic images. As the energy of the X-ray photons increases, not only does the ability to penetrate dense structures improve, but the overall contrast of the images may be enhanced as well due to improved exposure of varying densities within the body. This allows for better differentiation between various types of tissues and abnormalities. The increased quality of radiation facilitates proper imaging while also potentially reducing patient dose because less radiation is required to achieve a suitable image quality. Understanding this relationship is essential for radiologic technologists to optimize imaging protocols and ensure high-quality outputs while minimizing exposure to patients.