Signal abnormality
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
An area of an MRI that is brighter or darker than the tissue around it should be. "Signal" is MRI's word for brightness — an abnormal signal says something differs there, without yet saying what.
Where you’ll see this
MRI findings, usually with the sequence named ("T2 signal abnormality").
Your report may word it “Abnormal signal”, “Signal change” or “Altered signal”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- In plain terms, how big or how serious is what you are describing?
- Does this description point to one likely cause, or several?
- Does anything here explain the symptoms I came in with?
How a finding is described
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.