A phantom used to evaluate image quality for assessing which property?

A phantom used to evaluate image quality for assessing which property?

• A. Lateral resolution
• B. Axial resolution
• C. Dead zone
• D. Slice thickness

Answer: (D)

Slice thickness refers to the thickness of the imaging plane in the elevational (out-of-plane) direction. A phantom designed to test this property uses slender targets oriented in the elevational direction so you can see how many targets fall within a single image slice. If the slice is too thick, several targets within that elevational span will appear together, reducing apparent detail and indicating poorer elevational resolution. If the slice is thin, only one target shows per depth, reflecting good slice-thickness performance. This is different from lateral resolution (side-by-side structures in the image plane), axial resolution (separation of reflectors along the beam), and the near-field dead zone (the shallow region where data may be unreliable).

Slice thickness refers to the thickness of the imaging plane in the elevational (out-of-plane) direction. A phantom designed to test this property uses slender targets oriented in the elevational direction so you can see how many targets fall within a single image slice. If the slice is too thick, several targets within that elevational span will appear together, reducing apparent detail and indicating poorer elevational resolution. If the slice is thin, only one target shows per depth, reflecting good slice-thickness performance. This is different from lateral resolution (side-by-side structures in the image plane), axial resolution (separation of reflectors along the beam), and the near-field dead zone (the shallow region where data may be unreliable).