What your radiology report is actually saying
One sentence, or one finding, per article. These are the phrases people paste into a search box after reading their own report — written out in plain language, beside a real MRI, CT or X-ray of what the radiologist was looking at, and with an honest account of what the words do and do not mean.
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 →
Report language
Report languageWhat “clinical correlation is recommended” means on your reportThe sentence is addressed to your doctor, not to you. What a radiologist means by it, the three different jobs it does, and when it is worth asking about.
Report languageWhat “lucency” means on an X-ray or CT reportLucency means an area let more X-rays through — it looks darker on the film. What that describes, why it is a shape and not a diagnosis, and what changes its meaning.
Report languageWhat “unremarkable” means on a medical reportUnremarkable means normal — nothing worth remarking on. Why the best news in a radiology report is written in its flattest word, and what "grossly" adds.
Report languageWhat “effacement of the thecal sac” means on a spine MRIThe thecal sac is the fluid-filled sleeve around the spinal nerves. Effacement means something is pressing on its edge — what that does and does not imply.
Report languageWhat “the cardiomediastinal silhouette is unremarkable” meansThe longest word on a normal chest X-ray report, and one of the best. What the cardiomediastinal silhouette is and why its outline is what gets described.
Report languageWhat “no acute osseous abnormality” meansThe standard sentence for "no broken bone" — and what the word "acute" is quietly leaving room for. What the phrase covers and what it does not.
Report languageWhat “no acute intracranial abnormality” means on a head CTThe standard conclusion of a normal head CT. What the scan was actually looking for, why "acute" is the key word, and what a normal CT does not rule out.Findings explained
Findings explainedWhat “small vessel ischemic changes” means on a brain MRIWhite spots in the brain’s white matter, reported as small vessel disease or chronic microvascular change. Why they are so common after 50 and what the wording is actually claiming.
Findings explainedWhat “straightening of the cervical lordosis” meansYour neck X-ray or MRI says the normal curve is straightened or reversed. What that describes, why muscle spasm and the scan position cause it, and why the finding alone rarely explains pain.
Findings explainedWhat an “adrenal incidentaloma” is on a CT reportA lump on an adrenal gland, found on a scan done for something else. Why most are harmless, what Hounsfield units have to do with it, and the two questions that decide what happens next.
Findings explainedWhat “retrolisthesis” means on a spine reportOne vertebra sitting slightly backwards on the one below. What the grades mean, why it usually comes from disc wear rather than injury, and when it matters.
Findings explainedWhat a “Tarlov cyst” is on a spine MRIA fluid-filled pouch on a nerve root, almost always at the base of the spine. Why most are found by accident and cause nothing, and why the symptomatic minority is genuinely contested.
Findings explainedWhat “bone marrow edema” means on an MRIFluid inside a bone, seen only on MRI. Why it is a signal rather than a diagnosis, what a bone bruise really is, and why the same words cover an injury and arthritis.
Findings explainedWhat “AC joint osteoarthritis” means on a shoulder reportWear at the small joint where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade. Why almost every adult shoulder scan mentions it, and how to tell whether it is the thing causing your pain.
Findings explainedWhat “patellar tendinosis” means on a knee MRIWhy the report says tendinosis and not tendinitis, what that changes about treatment, and why the tendon looks abnormal in people with no pain.
Findings explainedWhat “subacromial-subdeltoid bursitis” meansFluid in the cushion above the rotator cuff. What the report is measuring, why the bursa is almost never inflamed on its own, and what usually sits underneath it.
Findings explainedWhat “subchondral sclerosis” means on a reportBone under the cartilage looking whiter and denser. Why it is the bone responding to load rather than a disease of its own, and what it sits alongside.
Findings explainedWhat “concha bullosa” means on a sinus CTAn air pocket inside one of the structures in your nose. Why it is classed as a normal variant found in a third of people, and when it is worth doing anything about.
Findings explainedT2/FLAIR hyperintensities: the bright spots on a brain MRIThe bright spots on your brain MRI, what the report calls them, why "small vessel ischemic disease" sounds worse than it usually is, and how they are graded.
Findings explainedModic changes type 1, 2 and 3 on a spine MRIWhat Modic changes are, what the three types actually describe, why type 1 is the one associated with pain, and what the grading does and does not predict.
Findings explainedWhat “mucosal thickening” means on a sinus CT or MRIWhy "mucosal thickening" turns up on scans done for something else entirely, what mild versus severe means, and when a sinus finding is worth acting on.
Findings explainedSchmorl’s nodes: what they are on a spine reportA Schmorl node is disc material pressed into the bone of a vertebra. Why they are usually old, usually painless, and why so many reports mention them.
Findings explainedWhat “joint effusion” means on an MRI reportExtra fluid in a joint. Why a small effusion is normal, what "trace" and "moderate" are measuring, and why the effusion is a clue rather than the problem.
Findings explainedWhat “ground-glass opacity” means on a lung CTA hazy area on a lung CT that does not hide the structures underneath. What causes it, why "ground glass" is a description and not a diagnosis, and what follows.
Findings explainedWhat “facet arthropathy” and “facet hypertrophy” meanArthritis of the small joints at the back of the spine. What hypertrophy is describing, why it is nearly universal after middle age, and when it explains pain.
Findings explainedWhat “encephalomalacia” means on a brain scanAn area where brain tissue was lost and never came back. Why it is almost always old, what gliosis beside it means, and why it is not a progressive disease.
Findings explainedWhat phleboliths are on a CT or X-ray reportSmall calcium stones inside pelvic veins. Why nearly half of adults have them, why they are harmless, and why they matter when someone is looking for a kidney stone.
Findings explainedWhat a pineal cyst means on a brain MRIA fluid-filled sac in a gland at the centre of the brain. Why most are found by accident, why size alone is not the issue, and when one is actually followed up.
Findings explainedWhat “cavum septum pellucidum” means on a brain scanA small fluid space between two membranes at the centre of the brain. Why it is a normal variant in adults, and why it is looked for on a fetal scan.Scans & results
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