Anti-scatter grid

Reducing the amount of scattered x-rays increases the image's contrast resolution, and consequently the visibility of soft tissues.

The device was first invented by German radiologist Gustav Peter Bucky, who showed in 1913 that a grid can be used to 'reject' scattered x-rays before they reach the detector.

The grid is constructed of a series of alternating parallel strips of lead and a radiolucent substance such as a plastic, carbon fibre, aluminium, even paper.

Radiation which has travelled straight through the patient from the x-ray source moves directly through the radiolucent portions of the grid and strikes the detector.

Higher grid ratios provide better scatter cleanup, but they also result in greater radiation doses to the patient.