What is the streaking in an image primarily a result of?

Streaking in a CT image is primarily a result of patient motion during the imaging process. When a patient moves while the scan is being acquired, it causes blurring and artifacts in the resultant images. This motion can disrupt the precise alignment necessary for accurate data collection, leading to artifacts that manifest as streaks. Motion artifacts are particularly pronounced in areas where rapid changes in density occur, which can complicate image interpretation.

Other factors, such as metal artifacts, failed detector elements, and thick axial slices, can lead to different types of artifacts but do not primarily result in streaking. Metal artifacts occur due to the high atomic number of metal materials, which scatter X-ray beams; failed detector elements lead to locally lost data in scans; and thick slices can produce partial volume averaging, which affects the overall sharpness but does not inherently create streak artifacts in the same way that motion does.