How should exposure factors be adjusted for a patient with emphysema?

When assessing a patient with emphysema, the lung tissue becomes hyperinflated due to the disease, which can significantly affect radiographic imaging. Adjusting exposure factors is important to achieve optimal imaging results without unnecessary radiation exposure.

Halving the mAs while keeping the kVp the same is appropriate for patients with emphysema because their lung fields may appear more radiolucent due to increased air content. The hyperinflation leads to a situation where the standard mAs used for a healthy lung condition could result in overexposure, making it necessary to decrease the mAs to maintain image quality.

Maintaining the kVp is critical since changing it can alter the contrast of the image. The emphasis is on managing the mAs to cater to the increased penetration required due to the reduced density caused by the hyperinflated lung spaces.

This approach ensures that the image will not be too dark, which would result in loss of diagnostic information, and aligns well with the principles of radiographic technique based on the condition of the lungs. Therefore, halving the mAs is the correct adjustment for a patient with emphysema.