The second undesirable effect of pulse pile-up is image distortion. Using standard pulse-positioning logic for gamma cameras (see Chapter 13, Section B.2), two events detected simultaneously at different locations in the detector are recorded as a single event with energy equal to the sum of the two events, at a location somewhere between them (Fig. 14-6). If both are valid photopeak events, their total energy exceeds the value that would be accepted by the PHA window and both events are rejected, resulting in counting losses. On the other hand, it is possible for two Compton-scattered γ rays to have a total energy that falls within the selected energy window, so that two invalid events are accepted as a single valid event. The visible result at very high counting rates is to add a diffuse background to the image, as illustrated in Figure 14-7. Note as well the image in the upper right-hand corner of this figure, showing how contrast can be restored by shielding high-activity areas outside the imaging area of interest (e.g., with a thin sheet of lead).