Which material is most commonly used for filters in fluoroscopy?

Aluminum is the most commonly used material for filters in fluoroscopy due to its effective properties in attenuating low-energy x-rays while allowing higher-energy x-rays to pass through. This filtering process is essential because it reduces the patient's exposure to unnecessary radiation, which can occur from low-energy x-rays that contribute little to image quality but add to the overall radiation dose.

Aluminum filters help to enhance the image by improving contrast and providing a clearer view of the structures being examined. They strike a balance by maintaining the necessary x-ray intensity that reaches the image receptor while minimizing the patient's radiation dose.

In contrast, while copper is also a filtering material and has a higher atomic number, it is not as commonly used in fluoroscopy applications because it can absorb too many beneficial high-energy photons. Gadolinium, typically used for contrast in imaging, does not serve as a filter material in fluoroscopic systems. Rhodium, although used in certain specialized imaging situations, is less prevalent for routine filtering compared to aluminum due to cost and efficiency factors.