What is the result of reducing the number of lines filled in k-space?

Reducing the number of lines filled in k-space primarily affects spatial resolution. K-space is the frequency domain representation of the MRI image, where each line corresponds to a specific spatial frequency of the image. When fewer lines are filled, it results in a poorer representation of the spatial frequencies, leading to a decrease in the detail and sharpness of the final image.

In MRI, spatial resolution is determined by the number of matrix size and the extent of k-space that is sampled. If only a small portion of the k-space is filled, the image will not capture the necessary frequencies to accurately reconstruct fine details, resulting in a loss of spatial resolution. Therefore, reduced k-space sampling directly correlates to a lower quality image in terms of spatial detail, making the interpretation and diagnostic value less reliable.

Other aspects such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and scan time are influenced under different circumstances, but the primary consequence of reducing the number of lines in k-space centers on the degraded spatial resolution of the image.