Which type of artifact results from variations in detector alignment?

Ring artifacts arise specifically from misalignments or inconsistencies in the detector elements of a CT scanner. When a detector is slightly off-position or if there is a failure in one of the detector channels, it can lead to erroneous data being collected from that particular detector. As a result, this misalignment manifests visually as concentric circles or rings on the reconstructed images.

The presence of these artifacts usually indicates a technical issue that can be rectified through calibration of the CT equipment or replacement of faulty detector components. Understanding this specific type of artifact is crucial for technologists to troubleshoot and maintain image quality, ensuring that diagnostic information is as accurate as possible.

In contrast, other artifacts such as streak artifacts are often linked to issues like motion or metallic objects in the scan region, beam hardening artifacts relate to the energy spectrum of the x-rays interacting with dense materials, and noise artifacts typically arise from insufficient data or fluctuations in the x-ray signal, all of which have different underlying causes and characteristics compared to ring artifacts.