Processing a tibia-fibula radiograph as an abdomen may result in which of the following?

• A. Excessive dose to the patient
• B. Reduced dynamic range
• C. Loss of spatial resolution
• D. Incorrect brightness and contrast

Answer: (D)

Brightness and contrast in a digital radiograph are controlled during processing by the window level and width, which map the raw pixel values to display grayscale. If a tibia-fibula image is processed with the abdominal preset, the grayscale mapping designed for abdominal tissues doesn’t match the high-contrast, high-attenuation characteristics of bone in the leg, so the image ends up with inappropriate brightness and contrast. Exposure dose isn’t altered by processing decisions, and spatial resolution or the detector’s dynamic range are determined by exposure and hardware, not by the processing label. So applying the abdominal settings to a leg radiograph produces incorrect brightness and contrast.