In which type of tubes can aluminum (Al) be used as the filtration?

Aluminum can be used as filtration in digital breast tomosynthesis tubes with tungsten targets due to its effectiveness in absorbing low-energy photons that do not contribute to image formation and only increase patient dose. In mammography, using aluminum filters helps to improve image quality by allowing higher-energy x-rays to reach the detector while filtering out the lower-energy x-rays that are more likely to be absorbed by the breast tissue without producing useful diagnostic information.

In digital breast tomosynthesis, the use of tungsten targets combined with aluminum filtration optimizes the beam quality, enhancing contrast resolution for better imaging of breast tissues. This combination is particularly important in mammography, which requires precise imaging to detect small lesions and other abnormalities.

Other machinery such as conventional film-screen mammography utilizes aluminum but in a different manner; the main focus there is on traditional x-ray generation methods. Fluoroscopy machines typically use different filtration materials, often depending on the procedure and equipment design, and computed tomography tubes primarily use other techniques and materials better suited for their imaging purposes. Thus, the appropriate use of aluminum filtration in digital breast tomosynthesis enhances the overall effectiveness and safety of the imaging process.