Which factor primarily affects patient dose during a radiographic examination?

The factor that primarily affects patient dose during a radiographic examination is the milliampere-seconds (mAs). This parameter directly correlates with the amount of radiation produced during the exposure. Higher mAs results in more photons being generated, which increases the overall dose received by the patient.

In radiography, mAs is a critical component because it not only influences the quantity of radiation but also affects image quality. Adequate exposure is necessary to ensure that the image is neither underexposed (which can lead to repeat examinations) nor overexposed (which can lead to unnecessary radiation exposure to the patient).

While other factors such as kVp (kilovolt peak), focal spot size, and Source-to-Image Distance (SID) also play important roles in radiographic imaging, their impact on patient dose is not as direct as that of mAs. kVp affects the quality and penetrability of the radiation beam but does not directly control the amount of radiation reaching the patient in the same way mAs does. The focal spot size primarily influences image detail and sharpness rather than patient dose, and while SID can affect the intensity of radiation reaching the patient (due to the inverse square law), the amount of radiation generated during the