Which factor most significantly affects receptor exposure?

The factor that most significantly affects receptor exposure is kilovoltage. When kilovoltage is increased, the energy of the X-ray photons produced is also increased, which allows for greater penetration through the patient’s body. This greater penetration results in a higher quantity of photons reaching the imaging receptor, thereby increasing receptor exposure.

Kilovoltage controls the quality of the X-ray beam and influences the contrast and density of the image produced. Higher kilovoltage results in less interaction with the body's tissues and more direct exposure to the imaging receptor. As a result, manipulating kilovoltage is a critical way radiographers can optimize image quality and ensure adequate exposure levels are reached on the receptor.

The other factors listed do impact image quality and exposure, but not to the same extent as kilovoltage. Aluminum filtration, for example, serves to reduce the number of low-energy photons that contribute to patient dose without improving the image quality. Source-to-image distance (SID) affects the intensity of the X-ray beam reaching the receptor, but it does not fundamentally alter the exposure like kilovoltage does. Scattered radiation can degrade image quality, but it does not directly influence the initial receptor exposure as the primary beam does.