Ghost images are typically located on which side of the real image?

• A. Above the real image
• B. Below the real image
• C. Same side
• D. Opposite side

Answer: (D)

In panoramic radiography, a ghost image appears due to the projection geometry of how the X-ray beam passes through the patient and records onto the film. A dense structure on one side projects an image onto the opposite side of the film, producing a secondary, usually inverted and magnified image. So ghost images are located on the opposite side of the real image. This opposite-side placement helps distinguish them from true structures on the correct side.