Final answer:
A CT scan with a pitch of 0.79 indicates that the table moves 79% of the x-ray beam width per rotation, affecting the balance between image quality and scan efficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
A CT scanning protocol set to use a pitch of 0.79 refers to the ratio of the table movement per rotation of the x-ray tube to the width of the x-ray beam.
A pitch of 0.79 implies that, for each 360-degree rotation of the x-ray beam around the body, the table moves 79% of the width of the x-ray beam.
This protocol choice affects the speed of the scan and the quality of the images.
Lower pitch values can lead to better image quality due to increased overlap of the x-ray slices but result in a longer scan time and potentially greater radiation exposure.
Conversely, a higher pitch can shorten scan times and reduce radiation exposure but may compromise image quality. Therefore, selecting a pitch of 0.79 is often a balance between scan efficiency and image resolution.