Cannot be excluded
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 scan cannot completely rule something out — it is not a statement that the thing is there. Radiologists write it because imaging has limits, and naming what those limits leave open is part of an honest report.
Where you’ll see this
Impressions across every modality, usually followed by the test that would settle it.
Your report may word it “Cannot be entirely excluded”, “Cannot be definitively excluded” or “Not excluded”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Does this wording mean you are unsure, or that you are reasonably confident and being careful?
- If something cannot be ruled out from this scan, what would rule it out?
- Is there anything here you would act on today?
Careful and hedged wording
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.