As filtration increases, which of the following describes the relationship between beam quality and patient dose?

In radiography, filtration refers to the process of selectively removing lower-energy photons from the x-ray beam. When filtration is increased, it effectively enhances the overall quality of the x-ray beam. Higher beam quality means that the x-ray beam is composed of more penetrating (higher-energy) photons, which are better able to pass through body tissues and contribute to the diagnostic image without being absorbed as much by the patient.

As the quality of the x-ray beam increases due to higher filtration, the patient dose decreases. This occurs because the lower-energy photons that are less effective for imaging and more likely to be absorbed by the patient's tissues are filtered out. Consequently, fewer photons are needed to achieve the same level of image quality, leading to a reduction in the radiation exposure (or dose) to the patient.

This relationship underscores the importance of optimizing filtration in radiography to not only improve image quality but also to minimize unnecessary radiation exposure to patients, enhancing overall safety.