CTICasesDigital Radiography Artifacts: Grid Misalignment and Backscatter
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Imaging findings
The first radiograph demonstrates unilateral asymmetry in lung opacity that extends past the lung borders into the soft tissues, associated with prominent, misaligned grid lines that are accentuated on one side. The second radiograph shows a bizarre pattern of branching and geometric opacities in the right lower lung zone caused by high-energy X-ray photons penetrating the detector and reflecting off the internal hardware back into the receptor.
Key takeaways
Digital radiography artifacts must be recognized to prevent the misinterpretation of technical errors as active lung pathology. Grid misalignment occurs when the X-ray beam is not centered to the grid, resulting in asymmetric attenuation and visible grid lines. Backscatter artifacts occur when the X-ray technique is too high, causing photons to penetrate the detector panel and image the internal metal components.
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