Pitch (CT)
Updates to Article Attributes
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 beamsandwhere parts of tissueisare 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 >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 <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 >1.0 results in decreased patient dose but also decreased image quality (through fewer projections obtained, resulting in lower SNR). A pitch of <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 > 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 < 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 > 1.0 results in decreased patient dose but also decreased image quality (fewer projections are obtained, resulting in lower SNR). A pitch of < 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>