Read Your Scan

Within normal limits

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

Normal, with the acknowledgement that "normal" is a range rather than a single value. A measurement or an appearance sits inside what is expected for someone of your age and build.

Where you’ll see this

Next to anything that gets measured — an artery, a bile duct, the width of the spinal canal — on CT, MRI and ultrasound reports.

Your report may word it WNL or Normal limits. 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

See this word on your own scan

Upload your scan (de-identified in your browser) and your radiologist’s report, and every finding is mapped onto the images, explained in plain language and scored. Informational only — not a diagnosis.

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.