Conclusions
At pitches below ?1.25, multi-slice scanners achieve a progressively better noise-dose relationship than single-slice scanners.
The noise-dose relationship does not change significantly with pitch on any of the multi-slice scanners studied.
Notes:
A final point that can be made concerns the fact that manufacturers of multi-slice scanners often recommend using pitches below 1 to achieve best image quality. These results indicate that, judging by the criteria we have investigated here and disregarding artefacts, there does not appear to be any great advantage in using a pitch of less than 1. Indeed, if tube loading considerations permit, there may be a case for performing such scans faster, by using a higher pitch, whilst achieving comparable image quality for the same patient dose.