Axial, sagittal, coronal
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
The three directions a scan is sliced in: axial cuts across the body like slices of a loaf, sagittal splits left from right, coronal separates front from back. A finding is often described in each, because some things only look like themselves from one angle.
Where you’ll see this
The technique section, and wherever a finding is located.
Your report may word it “Transverse”, “Planes” or “Multiplanar”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Did this scan use the right technique to answer my question?
- Would contrast, or a different sequence, show something this one could not?
- Do I need another scan, or is this one enough?
How the scan was taken
Where this word comes up
See this word on your own scan
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