Approximately what percentage of retakes are due to motion (respiratory or other)?

• A. 1%
• B. 5%
• C. 11%
• D. 22%

Answer: (C)

Motion during image capture causes blur and necessitates repeats, since breathing and small patient movements can shift anatomy between the exposure and the image. About eleven percent of retakes come from motion, making it a notable but not overwhelming contributor to repeat radiographs. This figure reflects how often respiratory or incidental movement affects image quality and why efforts to minimize motion—such as coaching the patient on breathing, shortening exposure times, and using immobilization techniques—directly impact repeat rates.

The other options would either underrate or overstate motion’s role. A much smaller share would imply motion rarely causes repeats, which isn’t consistent with routine QA data, while a share near a quarter would suggest motion is the dominant cause, also not aligned with typical distributions.