What does a higher window width in CT imaging generally lead to in terms of contrast?

A higher window width in CT imaging signifies a broader range of Hounsfield units that can be displayed on the image. This expansion allows for greater variation in the attenuation values to be included in the image processing. As a result, tissue types that have similar attenuation characteristics may become less distinguishable from one another, which effectively leads to decreased contrast.

In terms of image quality, increased window width reduces the ability to detect subtle differences between adjacent tissues. For instance, if you are trying to differentiate between fat and low-density structures, a wider window width might make it challenging since both will be represented more uniformly. Therefore, adjusting the window width to a higher level typically results in an image that has lower contrast.