An ultrasound scan is often preferred over X-ray imaging for diagnostic procedures involving soft tissues.
Explain the biological mechanism of risk to a patient undergoing a standard diagnostic X-ray examination. Discuss three ways by which the design and operation of X-ray equipment are optimized to minimize this biological risk.
A clinician needs to investigate a patient presenting with symptoms of a fluid-filled cyst deep within the liver. Suggest, with clear physical and clinical reasons, which of ultrasound imaging or conventional projection X-ray imaging is the superior diagnostic procedure for this investigation.
During an ultrasound scan of a patient's kidney, the beam travels across a boundary from kidney tissue to a renal calculus (kidney stone). At this boundary, there is an increase in acoustic impedance, resulting in exactly 16.0% of the intensity of the incident ultrasound being reflected back into the kidney tissue.
Calculate the acoustic impedance of the renal calculus.
23 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Physics Radionuclide imaging and therapy (A-level only), covering Imaging techniques (A-level only), Half-life (A-level only), Gamma camera (A-level only), Use of high-energy X-rays (A-level only), Use of radioactive implants (A-level only), and Imaging comparisons (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.