Lange Mammography Practice Exam 2026 – The Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

In grids used to improve mammography image quality, the strips themselves are made from lead. The goal of the grid is to absorb scattered X-rays that would blur the image while letting the primary beam pass through the gaps. Lead’s high density and high atomic number give it very strong X-ray attenuation in a very thin, precisely manufactured strip, so you can create many narrow strips with tiny gaps that block scatter effectively without overly dimming the primary beam. The spacers between strips are usually aluminum to minimize additional attenuation of the primary beam and keep the grid lighter. Copper would require thicker strips to achieve the same attenuation, making the grid heavier and more expensive, with less efficient scatter control. Nickel isn’t typically used for grid strips due to cost and performance considerations. So the material chosen for the grid strips is lead.