How does the use of a grid affect radiation exposure to the patient?

The use of a grid in radiography serves primarily to enhance image quality by improving contrast. Grids are designed to reduce the amount of scatter radiation reaching the imaging receptor, thereby enhancing the clarity and detail of the X-ray images. When scatter radiation is minimized, the overall image quality improves, which can lead to a reduction in the radiation dose to the patient to achieve a diagnostic-quality image.

However, the use of a grid does require a higher dose of radiation to compensate for the attenuation of both primary and scatter radiation. This compensation is typically achieved by increasing the milliampere-seconds (mAs), which is a measure of the total exposure. Thus, while the grid helps achieve higher image contrast—which is beneficial for diagnosis—it can also lead to an increase in radiation dose due to the need for higher mAs settings.

Therefore, in this context, both aspects are true: the grid improves image quality (increasing contrast) while also requiring increased radiation exposure (higher mA settings) to maintain adequate diagnostic efficacy. This dual effect—enhancement in image quality along with an increase in dose—results in the decision that both statements about radiation dose in relation to the grid are correct.