What method can be used to prevent excessive receptor exposure when primary radiation strikes the tabletop?

Using lead rubber to absorb tabletop primary radiation is an effective method to prevent excessive receptor exposure. Lead rubber, which contains lead as a component, acts as a barrier that can absorb and shield against unwanted radiation. When primary radiation interacts with the tabletop, some of it can scatter back towards the receptor, potentially increasing exposure levels. By placing lead rubber over the tabletop, this scattered radiation is significantly reduced, thus limiting the amount of radiation that reaches the receptor.

In contrast, reducing the milliampere-seconds would lower the overall radiation dose but may not effectively address the specific issue of scatter radiation from the tabletop. Reducing kilovoltage also decreases the energy of the x-rays, which could affect image quality and may not specifically mitigate tabletop exposure. Using a shorter source-to-image distance (SID) could increase exposure despite reducing the amount of time radiation is being generated; the closer the source is to the receptor, the higher the intensity of the radiation reaching it. Thus, implementing a lead rubber barrier is a direct and efficient way to manage receptor exposure from primary radiation striking the tabletop.