Artifacts that look metallic but are not present on the patient or table are most likely caused by which issue?

• A. The cassette was backward
• B. The cassette was forward
• C. The patient moved during exposure
• D. The receptor was saturated

Answer: (A)

It’s about artifacts caused by incorrect cassette orientation. When the cassette is placed backward, the lead foil backing designed to reduce backscatter ends up facing the x‑ray beam and the patient. The beam then has to pass through this metal layer before reaching the imaging plate, creating a distinctive, metallic-looking area on the radiograph. That appearance isn’t something on the patient or the table; it’s a result of the cassette being reversed.

If the cassette were oriented correctly (front toward the beam), the lead foil would be on the opposite side and wouldn’t interfere in the beam path, so you wouldn’t see that metallic artifact. Motion blur from the patient would smear the image rather than produce a metallic patch, and receptor saturation would cause overall overexposure or loss of dynamic range, not a localized metallike area.