Which of the following factors should not be used to limit scattered radiation production?

To limit scattered radiation production, the focus should be on methods that inherently reduce the amount of scatter generated during imaging procedures. The chosen answer emphasizes that increasing the milliampere-seconds (mAs) is not an effective method for controlling scattered radiation.

When you increase mAs, you are essentially increasing the quantity of x-ray photons produced, which can lead to more scattered radiation because more radiation interacts with the patient or object being imaged. This is particularly true in situations where the imaging process relies on softer tissue contrast, where excessive mAs increases both the primary and secondary (scatter) radiation, potentially degrading image quality.

In contrast, optimal kilovoltage is intended to balance image contrast and penetration, reducing unnecessary scatter while allowing for adequate penetration of the target area. Close collimation helps minimize the size of the x-ray beam to only the area of interest, effectively reducing scatter by limiting the volume of tissue irradiated. Low-ratio grids also play a role in reducing scatter by allowing more of the primary beam to reach the detector while filtering out some of the scatter produced.

Therefore, while the other methods focus on reducing the production or impact of scattered radiation, increasing mAs inadvertently increases the potential for more scatter, making it unsuitable as a limiting