You may have encountered the term pixel pitch when shopping for a new TV or computer monitor. However, in radiological imaging techniques, it’s also used in DR (Direct Radiography) panels, which are digital X-ray machines.
We will examine what the term means, whether a higher or lower number is better and why, and finally, discuss its importance when discussing DR panels.
Let’s take a look.
What Is Pixel Pitch?
Pixel pitch is defined as the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next, measured in µm (micro millimeters), which is 1/1000 of a millimeter. A lower number means the pixels are closer together, and the image will be sharper compared to a higher number, which indicates that the pixels are farther apart.
It’s used to describe the quality of digital displays like TVs, monitors, DR panels, and other things.
How Important Is DR Panel Pixel Pitch?
Inside DR panels, scintillators such as Cesium iodide (CsI) and Gadolinium Oxysulfate (GOS) are present. Scintillators are materials that fluoresce or produce light when struck by a charged particle or high-energy photon, such as when they interact with X-rays during radiological imaging.
The light is then captured in the panel by photon-detecting pixels. In this case, pixel pitch refers to how tightly those photon-detecting pixels are packed, with lower numbers indicating more pixels. The more pixels, the more light that can be precisely captured, and the better the quality of detail in the images.
However, since the pitch is measured in µm (1/1000 of a millimeter) and the range in commercial Direct Radiographic panels is typically around 129-140µm, the variance between them is remote, at about 8%. While in theory, a lower number always means higher quality, with such a small variance, many users and even manufacturers report that, in practice, they do not see much difference.
However, opinions on this may vary. This is not to say we should ignore the value, but instead, recognize that it is one of several specifications that will interact with other factors to determine your overall image quality. So, it is still worth considering when you are deciding on the best DR panel for your X-ray system.
This number becomes more important outside of use in digital X-rays since there will be much more variance between different displays, like diverse qualities of TVs and computer monitors. If you have ever seen a very poor-quality image that looks “pixelated,” this means that its pitch was very high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Higher Pixel Pitch Better?
When it comes to pixels, a lower pitch number is better than a higher one because it measures the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next. A high value would indicate they are far apart, meaning poorer image quality than a display with a lower value indicating more closely spaced pixels.
Final Thoughts
Lower pixel pitch numbers indicate that the pixels are closer together and, therefore, should produce better image quality, and this makes a difference in things like TVs and computer monitors. However, when discussing DR panels, since they are measured in µm (1/1000 of a millimeter) and only vary usually in the 129-140µm range, with an 8% variance, the users of these systems state that it makes little difference in resulting image quality.
Whether using tethered or wireless DR panels, you know that with Maven Imaging, your panels will produce the highest-quality digital imaging, improving your diagnostics and patient care.
