In fluoroscopic practice, increasing kilovoltage peak (kVp) with appropriate filtration tends to do what to patient dose?

• A. Reduce dose.
• B. Increase dose.
• C. No change.
• D. Increase image noise.

Answer: (A)

Increasing kilovoltage peak with proper filtration lowers the energy deposited in the patient while still achieving the needed image receptor exposure. Higher-energy photons penetrate tissue more readily, so you can reduce the dose by lowering the tube current or exposure time to maintain the same receptor exposure. Filtration removes low-energy photons that would be absorbed in the patient and contribute to skin dose without improving image quality, enhancing the dose reduction. Keep in mind that higher kVp can reduce image contrast, but with appropriate filtration and optimization, patient dose is decreased.