Increasing the slice thickness during CT image acquisition primarily affects which aspect of the image?

Increasing the slice thickness during CT image acquisition primarily enhances volume coverage. When the slice thickness is increased, the scanner can capture a larger area of the anatomy in a single rotation, which decreases the total number of slices required to cover a given region. This ability to cover a greater volume in fewer slices makes it particularly efficient for scanning larger areas or for applications where rapid imaging is desired, such as trauma cases or when assessing for conditions like pulmonary embolism.

While volume coverage improves with thicker slices, it is important to recognize that increasing slice thickness may reduce spatial resolution and potentially increase image noise, as thinner slices generally allow for greater detail and clarity of fine structures in the image. Additionally, while time efficiency also might improve due to the reduced number of slices acquired, the most direct and significant effect of increasing slice thickness is on volume coverage itself.