Which of the following conditions may result in grid cutoff?

• A. 1 and 2
• B. 1 and 3
• C. 1, 2, and 3
• D. 2 and 3

Answer: (C)

Grid cutoff happens when the X-ray beam isn’t aligned with the grid’s focal range. For a grid to transmit evenly, the beam must be centered on the grid, be perpendicular to it, and be at the grid’s designed focal distance. If any of these conditions is off, the grid blocks more photons in part of the image, causing underexposure toward the edges or nonuniform exposure that can make the grid lines or edge areas look lighter. The situations described—centering errors, improper angulation, and incorrect SID for a focused grid—each can produce grid cutoff on its own. When all three are present, grid cutoff becomes evident across the image, which is why all three conditions are included.