Final answer:
In CT imaging, window width determines the contrast and details shown on the image, with narrower windows providing higher contrast and wider windows offering more detail.
Step-by-step explanation:
In CT imaging, window width is a parameter that determines the range of CT numbers (Hounsfield units) that will be displayed on the screen. The window width defines how much contrast is visible in the image; a narrow window width will show a small range of densities, which means high contrast between structures but can also hide some details.
On the other hand, a wide window width will display a wider range of densities, therefore showing more details but with lower contrast. Setting the proper window width is essential for accurately interpreting different types of tissues and abnormalities in a computed tomography scan.