How is a Radiographic Image Formed

When X-rays pass through an absorber, they are absorbed at different rates depending on the thickness and density of the absorber's components. As a result, the X-ray beam that exits the absorber will have varying intensity levels. These variations are recorded by the radiographic receptor as radiographic density. The contrast between different radiographic densities is known as radiographic contrast. Typically, areas with thicker absorbers appear brighter on the radiographic image compared to areas with thinner absorbers (Figure 1).^1-5

Figure 1. Illustration of a radiographic image formation.

Figure 1. Illustration of a radiographic image formation.