CR cassettes should be erased at least:

CR cassettes should be erased at least:

• A. Every 24 hours
• B. Every 48 hours
• C. Every 3 months
• D. Weekly

Answer: (A)

CR cassettes store the latent image on a photostimulable phosphor plate. Even after you’ve read an image, some residual signal can remain on the plate and appear as ghost images on future exams if the plate isn’t fully erased. The erasure step uses bright light to reset the phosphor crystals so the next exposure starts from a clean slate. Erasing at least every 24 hours minimizes the chance of ghost artifacts and maintains consistent image quality. In busy labs, plates are often erased at the end of the day or between patients, but the important minimum is to erase within a 24-hour window. Waiting longer—such as weekly, every 48 hours, or every 3 months—allows residual data to persist and increases the risk of artifacts contaminating diagnostic images.

CR cassettes store the latent image on a photostimulable phosphor plate. Even after you’ve read an image, some residual signal can remain on the plate and appear as ghost images on future exams if the plate isn’t fully erased. The erasure step uses bright light to reset the phosphor crystals so the next exposure starts from a clean slate.

Erasing at least every 24 hours minimizes the chance of ghost artifacts and maintains consistent image quality. In busy labs, plates are often erased at the end of the day or between patients, but the important minimum is to erase within a 24-hour window.

Waiting longer—such as weekly, every 48 hours, or every 3 months—allows residual data to persist and increases the risk of artifacts contaminating diagnostic images.