Read Your Scan

Clinical correlation is recommended

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 images alone cannot settle the question, so the radiologist is handing it back to the doctor who examined you. It is a routine handover, not a warning — the person with your symptoms, your history and your blood results is better placed to say what the picture means.

Where you’ll see this

The last line of an impression, on any modality. One of the most common sentences in radiology.

Your report may word it Clinically correlate, Correlation with clinical findings is advised or Clinical correlation is suggested. 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.