Where do ghost images come from in panoramic imaging?

• A. Objects between the x-ray source and the center of rotation
• B. Objects between the center of rotation and the receptor
• C. Objects in the focal trough center
• D. Objects at infinity

Answer: (A)

In panoramic imaging, ghost images come from dense objects that lie between the X-ray source and the center of rotation. The X-ray beam fans out from the source as the machine rotates, so a strong object in front of the center shadows the beam in a way that is projected onto the receptor on the opposite side of the image. This produces a magnified, inverted “ghost” appearance of the object on the far side. Objects between the center and the receptor don’t create this opposite-side ghost; similarly, objects at infinity don’t form ghost images.