SCATTERING OF THE EXIT BEAM AT THE PATIENT–CASSETTE FRONT MATERIAL INTERFACE BY EBONY WOOD

Background: As part of the search for substitute materials for use as radiographic equipment accessories in developing countries, scattering of the exit beam at phantom-material (simulating the patient-cassette) interface has been investigated for Ebony wood and aluminium, for comparison, using thermoluminescent detectors (TLD). Purpose: To investigate the scattering of the exit beam at the phantom-material interface for Ebony wood and aluminium, and assess the potential of Ebony wood as a substitute radiographic accessory. Materials and Methods: Thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) were used to measure exit beam scattering at the phantom-material interface under varying tube potentials and radiation field sizes. Statistical analysis for independent samples was conducted to determine significance at the 95% confidence interval. Results: Results showed that there was no statistical difference in the scattering of the exit beam towards the phantom by the two tested materials (P = 0.3) with changes in tube potential. Variation of radiation field size, however, produced a marked difference. Conclusion: Ebony wood may be used as a substitute for aluminium as a radiographic accessory, subject to further radiographic tests and confirmation.