Which of the listed radiographic matrices would produce the greatest spatial resolution?

• A. 256 x 256
• B. 512 x 512
• C. 1024 x 1024
• D. 2048 x 2048

Answer: (D)

Spatial resolution is governed by how finely the image is sampled, which comes from the pixel size on the detector. For the same field of view, increasing the matrix size divides that view into more, smaller pixels. Smaller pixels sample the image more finely, allowing you to distinguish smaller details. Among the options, the 2048 x 2048 matrix has the smallest pixel size, so it provides the highest spatial resolution. The other matrices use larger pixel sizes and thus blur finer details more easily.