How is detector element (DEL) pitch defined?

How is detector element (DEL) pitch defined?

• A. The distance from the image receptor to the detector
• B. The distance from one DEL to another
• C. The width of a DEL
• D. The distance from the patient to the detector

Answer: (B)

DEL pitch describes how finely the detector elements are spaced along the detector. It is defined as the distance from the center of one detector element to the center of the adjacent element (center-to-center spacing). In practice, pitch equals the width of a detector element plus any inter-element gap, so it accounts for both the element size and the space between elements. This is not about the distance from the image receptor to the detector or from the patient to the detector. A smaller pitch means the elements are closer together, which can improve spatial sampling and potential resolution, though real-world factors like readout and optics also play a role.

DEL pitch describes how finely the detector elements are spaced along the detector. It is defined as the distance from the center of one detector element to the center of the adjacent element (center-to-center spacing). In practice, pitch equals the width of a detector element plus any inter-element gap, so it accounts for both the element size and the space between elements. This is not about the distance from the image receptor to the detector or from the patient to the detector. A smaller pitch means the elements are closer together, which can improve spatial sampling and potential resolution, though real-world factors like readout and optics also play a role.