Beam-hardening artifact
Read Your Scan Editorial Team·Last updated
Written from published radiology references and reviewed for plain language. Not written or signed by a physician, and not a diagnosis. How we write these pages →
In plain language
Dark streaks that fan out from something very dense on a CT — a hip replacement, dental work, a dense contrast pool. The streaks are a property of how X-rays pass through metal, and they obscure whatever they cross.
Where you’ll see this
CT findings, usually as an explanation of why one region could not be assessed.
Your report may word it “Streak artifact”, “Metal artifact” or “Beam hardening”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Was any part of the scan unreadable because of this?
- Does it need to be repeated, and if so how soon?
- Could this have hidden something, or only made the pictures look odd?
Picture problems, not body problems
Where this word comes up
See this word on your own scan
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Read Your Scan is informational only — not a medical diagnosis, and not a substitute for a licensed radiologist or your doctor. If you have urgent symptoms, seek care.