Monte Carlo simulation of the scattered radiation distribution in diagnostic radiology

Monte Carlo techniques were employed to evaluate the point spread function (PSF) of scattered radiation in diagnostic radiology. The Monte Carlo procedure is described and shown to compare well with Monte Carlo scatter analysis of other authors. The intensity and distribution of the PSF are described independently. The effects of object thickness, air gap, and beam spectra are examined. An analytic derivation of the scatter PSF is presented in a companion article, and the Monte Carlo results discussed herein are used for comparison.