Pitch (CT)

Changed by Kieran Kusel, 28 Nov 2019

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Pitch (P) is a term used in helical CT. It has two terminologies depending on whether single slice or multislice CT scanners are used 1-3.

Single slice CT (SSCT)

The term detector pitch is used and is defined as table distance traveled in one 360° gantry rotation divided by beam collimation 2.

For example, if the table traveled 5 mm in one rotation and the beam collimation was 5 mm then pitch equals 5 mm / 5 mm = 1.0. 

Choice of pitch affects both image quality and patient dose 2:

  • P = 1.0:  xx-ray beams are contiguous for adjacent rotations
  • P >1; 1.0: x-ray beams are not contiguous for adjacent rotations, i; i.e. there are gaps in between the x-ray beams andwhere parts of tissue isare not irradiated
  • P <1; 1.0:  therethere is x-ray beam overlap; i.e. a volume of tissue is irradiated more than once per scan

Thus a pitch >1; 1.0 results in decreased patient dose but also decreased image quality (through fewer(fewer projections are obtained, resulting in lower SNR). A pitch of <1; 1.0 results in better image quality, but a higher patient dose. 

Multislice CT (MSCT) 

Beam pitch is defined as table distance traveled in one 360° gantry rotation divided by total thickness of all simultaneously acquired slices 3.

  • -<li>P = 1.0:  x-ray beams are contiguous for adjacent rotations</li>
  • -<li>P &gt;1.0: x-ray beams are not contiguous for adjacent rotations, i.e. there are gaps in between the x-ray beams and tissue is not irradiated</li>
  • -<li>P &lt;1.0:  there is x-ray beam overlap; i.e. a volume of tissue is irradiated more than once per scan</li>
  • -</ul><p>Thus a pitch &gt;1.0 results in decreased patient dose but also decreased image quality (through fewer projections obtained, resulting in lower SNR). A pitch of &lt;1.0 results in better image quality, but a higher patient dose. </p><h5>Multislice CT (MSCT) </h5><p><strong>Beam pitch</strong> is defined as table distance traveled in one 360° gantry rotation divided by total thickness of all simultaneously acquired slices <sup>3</sup>.</p>
  • +<li>P = 1.0: x-ray beams are contiguous for adjacent rotations</li>
  • +<li>P &gt; 1.0: x-ray beams are not contiguous for adjacent rotations; i.e. there are gaps in between the x-ray beams where parts of tissue are not irradiated</li>
  • +<li>P &lt; 1.0: there is x-ray beam overlap; i.e. a volume of tissue is irradiated more than once per scan</li>
  • +</ul><p>Thus a pitch &gt; 1.0 results in decreased patient dose but also decreased image quality (fewer projections are obtained, resulting in lower SNR). A pitch of &lt; 1.0 results in better image quality, but a higher patient dose. </p><h5>Multislice CT (MSCT) </h5><p><strong>Beam pitch</strong> is defined as table distance traveled in one 360° gantry rotation divided by total thickness of all simultaneously acquired slices <sup>3</sup>.</p>

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