Final answer:
Metal artifacts in medical imaging are affected by the quantity, composition, and shape of metal, slice thickness of the scan, and the number of data sampling points used.
Step-by-step explanation:
The severity of metal artifacts in medical imaging, especially in computed tomography (CT) scans, can be influenced by several factors:
- The quantity, composition, and shape of the metal present in the scan field. Larger amounts of metal, metals with a higher atomic number, and irregular shapes tend to produce more severe artifacts.
- The slice thickness used in the CT scan. Thinner slices can reduce the appearance of artifacts because they capture less metal within each slice, leading to improved resolution.
- The number of data sampling points. The more sampling points, or the finer the sampling grid, the better the scanner can compensate for the presence of metal and reduce artifacts.