Operator exposure from CT exams is generally very LOW b/c:

• A. CT beam is well collimated and scatter is confined to the room
• B. CT beam is well collimated and operators control the fluoroscopic beam
• C. Scatter is confined to the exam room and operators control the fluoroscopic beam
• D. CT beam is well collimated, scatter is confined to the exam room, and operators control the fluoroscopic beam

Answer: (A)

In CT, operator exposure is kept very low because the x-ray beam is tightly collimated to the patient and the room is shielded to contain scatter. Tight collimation limits the irradiated volume and reduces the amount of scatter produced. The scatter that is generated stays largely within the exam room due to shielding, and the operator remains behind protective barriers or in a separate control room, away from the primary beam. Since CT does not use a fluoroscopic beam that the operator controls during routine acquisitions, there’s no additional exposure from a fluoroscopic source. These factors together explain why occupational exposure from CT exams is minimal.