What is the effect of increased filtration on beam quality?

Increased filtration has the effect of hardening the beam, which means it enhances the overall quality of the radiation that passes through. Filtration removes lower-energy photons from the x-ray beam, resulting in a higher average energy of the remaining photons. This process increases the beam's penetrating power, making it more effective for imaging dense structures or tissue.

Hardening the beam is beneficial because it reduces the amount of radiation exposure needed to achieve sufficient image quality. Higher energy photons are less likely to be absorbed by tissues than lower energy ones, which can lead to improved contrast in radiographic images and lower patient dose. Thus, increased filtration directly contributes to improving beam quality rather than decreasing energy or being associated with stability and resolution issues.