Milliamps second

This article covers the use of the charge unit in X-ray diagnostics . For general usage see Coulomb .

The amount of charge (in milliampere seconds, mAs) flowing in an X-ray tube during an exposure is used as a measure of the radiant energy emitted . The charge is the product of the tube's anode current (in milliamps ) and the exposure time (in seconds ).

Further influencing variables on the energy are the tube voltage (a few 10 to over 100 kV) and its efficiency (around 1%). However, the voltage is not a freely selectable parameter, as it changes the hardness of the radiation and thus the formation of contrast; hence the importance of the charge (the "milliampere seconds") as a setting parameter for the exposure of the X-ray exposure and the radiation exposure of the patient.

literature

• Werner Schlungbaum, Udo Flesch, Uwe Stabell: Medical radiation: an introduction to the physical, technical and biological basics of medical radiation use for physicians, medical-technical radiology assistants. de Gruyter, Berlin 1993, 7th edition, ISBN 3-11-012850-0 . ( Google Books )