Since the birth of the first CT tube in the 19th century, the family of tubes has also developed and grown rapidly. According to their medical uses, we divide them into two major categories: diagnostic X-ray tubes and therapeutic X-ray tubes.

1. X-ray CT tube for diagnosis

Diagnostic X-ray tubes are used for fluoroscopy and photography. Although the power of the two working states differs greatly, the exposure time during photography is extremely short of energy consumption. Therefore, the total energy of the anode of the tube in the two working states is similar. Therefore, modern diagnostic X-ray tubes are cooled by heat sinks.

To obtain clear X-ray images, the fundamental requirements for diagnostic X-ray tubes are: they should have a small focus and a large work focus. A small focus can reduce geometric ambiguity, while a large output power can shorten the exposure time and reduce movement ambiguity.

Of course, due to the limitation of the maximum allowable heat that the anode target surface can accept, it is difficult to simultaneously meet the requirements of a small focal point and high power. The rotating anode X-ray tube can better handle this contradiction and thus has been widely used.

(1) The type of CT tube for diagnosing X-rays

1. Fixed anode X-ray: The anode of this type of X-ray is fixed. It has a relatively low power and a large focus, and is generally used in small-break X-ray machines.