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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting detector, dose control, calibration, or image quality faults using safe external checks before escalation.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
If the ARTIS Q system reports a detector, dose control, or image quality calibration fault during a procedure, do not continue imaging unless the physician confirms it is clinically safe.
If image quality, dose regulation, or detector response is unreliable, move patient care to an alternate imaging room or approved downtime workflow.
Expected outcome: Patient care is not dependent on uncertain image quality or dose control.
Confirm the Exact Fault or Symptom
Review the system message, operator report, and timing of the fault.
Identify whether the issue involves:
- Detector not ready
- Flat detector calibration failure
- Dose control or automatic exposure issue
- Poor image brightness or contrast
- Image lag, dropout, shading, or banding
- Failed image quality calibration
- Error during fluoroscopy, acquisition, or startup
Expected outcome: The failure type is clearly identified before troubleshooting continues.
Stop and Escalate Immediately for Dose Safety Concerns
If the system suggests uncontrolled exposure, incorrect dose reporting, abnormal radiation output behavior, or dose regulation failure during live imaging, remove the room from clinical use.
Do not attempt repeated exposures to “test” the system on a patient.
Expected outcome: Radiation safety is prioritized before equipment troubleshooting.
Check the Detector Area for Obstructions or Damage
Inspect the flat panel detector face, protective cover, grid area, table pad, sterile drapes, positioning accessories, and any objects between the source and detector.
Remove nonessential items that could block or distort the image.
Expected outcome: No external object is interfering with detector response or image calibration.
If this resolves the image quality issue, document the obstruction and stop.
Verify Proper System Positioning
Confirm the C-arm, detector, table, and patient positioning are appropriate for the exam.
Check for extreme angles, off-center anatomy, excessive source-to-image distance, or positioning that could affect automatic exposure control.
Expected outcome: The system is positioned in a normal operating range for reliable imaging.
Check for Collision, Table, or C-Arm Position Errors
Look for collision warnings, blocked motion, incomplete positioning, or table/C-arm communication messages.
Detector calibration and image quality may fail if the imaging chain is not positioned correctly.
Expected outcome: The system can move and position normally without active geometry-related warnings.
Inspect Detector and Imaging Chain Cables Externally
Check visible cable routes near the detector, C-arm, table interface, and equipment cabinet area without opening covers.
Look for loose connectors, pinched cables, damaged cable jackets, or cables pulled tight after room movement or cleaning.
Expected outcome: No visible cable issue is affecting detector communication or image transfer.
Confirm Room Power and System Readiness
Verify the ARTIS Q system is fully powered, not partially booted, and not recovering from a power event.
Check for facility power issues, tripped emergency power indicators, UPS warnings, or equipment room alarms if accessible.
Expected outcome: Detector and imaging subsystems have stable power and normal startup conditions.
Check System Warm-Up and Startup Status
Confirm the system has completed normal startup, tube readiness, detector readiness, and any required warm-up prompts.
Do not bypass startup messages that affect image acquisition or calibration.
Expected outcome: Imaging is attempted only after the system reports ready status.
Review Recent Cleaning, Draping, or Room Setup Changes
Ask staff whether the detector cover, grid, sterile drape, table pad, or accessories were changed before the fault appeared.
Also check whether a portable shield, arm board, mattress, positioning device, or lead apron was left in the imaging field.
Expected outcome: Recent setup changes are ruled out as the cause.
Check Image Quality on a Safe Test Object or Phantom
When the room is clear and radiation safety procedures allow, perform a controlled image check using the site-approved test object or phantom.
Do not use a patient for troubleshooting exposures.
Expected outcome: The issue is confirmed under controlled conditions.
If image quality is normal during the test, document the finding and investigate patient setup, positioning, or accessory-related causes.
Compare Fluoroscopy and Acquisition Modes
Determine whether the issue occurs in fluoroscopy only, acquisition only, subtraction/DSA only, roadmap only, or all imaging modes.
This helps separate setup problems from detector, processing, dose control, or calibration faults.
Expected outcome: The failure pattern is narrow enough to support proper escalation.
Check Monitor and Display Chain Basics
If the complaint is poor image appearance, verify the clinical monitor is powered, connected, set to the correct input, and displaying normal brightness.
Confirm the issue is present on the acquisition workstation image and not only on one display.
Expected outcome: A monitor/display issue is not mistaken for detector or calibration failure.
Review Dose and Imaging Settings
Confirm staff are using the expected protocol, frame rate, dose level, collimation, filtration, and magnification settings.
Incorrect protocol selection can appear as poor image quality or unexpected dose behavior.
Expected outcome: The selected imaging parameters match the clinical exam.
Perform Only Approved Operator-Level Recovery
If site policy allows, restart the application or system using the normal shutdown and startup process.
Do not open covers, reseat internal boards, adjust calibration values, or attempt service-level detector calibration without authorization.
Expected outcome: A temporary software or startup state is cleared without unsafe intervention.
If the fault clears and image quality passes the site-approved check, return the system only after confirming clinical readiness.
Document Whether the Fault Repeats
If the fault returns after restart, appears during calibration, or occurs during controlled phantom imaging, remove the system from clinical service.
Expected outcome: Intermittent or repeat detector, dose, or calibration faults are escalated appropriately.
If the Problem Persists
If detector readiness, dose control behavior, or image quality calibration faults continue after external checks, common setup and accessory causes have been ruled out.
The ARTIS Q Series system should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for Siemens service evaluation or qualified bench/system repair
Persistent detector, dose regulation, or image calibration faults may involve internal detector electronics, generator control, image processing, calibration data, system communication, or service-level alignment. Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot image quality or dose control issues on an active patient. If dose regulation or detector performance is questionable, pause clinical use, protect the patient, and verify the system only under approved test conditions.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Clinical staff reported the Siemens ARTIS Q Series displayed a detector calibration fault and produced uneven image brightness during fluoroscopy."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found no detector obstruction, no visible cable damage, normal room power, and the fault repeated during a controlled image quality check."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"ARTIS Q Series was removed from service, labeled Out of Service, and escalated to Siemens service for detector/dose control evaluation."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact detector, dose, or calibration fault message
- Whether the issue occurred during startup, fluoro, acquisition, DSA, or calibration
- Whether patient imaging was stopped
- Detector face and grid inspected
- Table, C-arm, and detector position checked
- Obstructions or accessories removed
- Room power and startup status verified
- Monitor/display behavior checked
- Phantom or test object result
- Dose behavior or unusual exposure indications
- Final device status
Final Thought
Detector, dose control, and image quality faults on an angiography system require a careful safety-first approach. Clinical Engineering should rule out positioning, accessories, power, display, and setup issues before escalation. If image quality or dose regulation remains uncertain, removing the system from service is the correct decision, and clear CCR documentation supports safe follow-up.
That is successful troubleshooting.