Scans and heart tests
CT scan report explainer
A CT report works through the body part scanned organ by organ, noting what looks normal and what does not, and ends with an impression. Add your report below to see it restated line by line in plain language.
Explain your CT scan report
- 1. Add itDrop a PDF, take a photo or paste the text.
- 2. Check itPersonal details are removed on your device. You approve what is sent.
- 3. Read itSummary, table of results, terms and questions to ask.
The explainer opens on its own page with no adverts and no outside scripts. Your file is read on your device and is never uploaded.
What you get
- Each organ or region listed with what the report says about it.
- The impression restated point by point.
- Technical terms such as attenuation, enhancement and calculus defined.
- Any recommended follow-up quoted as written.
Wording you may see
- With or without contrastWhether dye was given to make structures show more clearly
- Hypodense and hyperdenseDarker or brighter than the surrounding tissue on the scan
- EnhancementAn area becoming brighter after contrast is given
- Lesion, nodule and massGeneral words for an area that looks different, usually with a size
- Incidental findingSomething seen that is unrelated to the reason for the scan
- UnremarkableLooked normal
What this tool cannot tell you
CT scans are detailed enough to show many small findings that turn out to be harmless, and a report cannot always tell which is which. Words such as lesion or mass describe an appearance, not a diagnosis. MedicDecode restates what the radiologist wrote. What a finding means, and whether it needs follow-up, is for your doctor.
Common questions
What is an incidental finding?
Something the radiologist noticed that was not what the scan was looking for. Reports usually say whether they think it needs follow-up.
Why does the report list so many normal organs?
Radiologists record what they checked. A line saying an organ is unremarkable means it was looked at and appeared normal.
What does too small to characterize mean?
The finding is too small for the scan to show what it is. Reports often add what it most likely is and whether a further scan is suggested.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Hyperdense
Hyperdense is a CT scan word for an area that looks brighter than the tissue around it because it blocks more X-rays.
- Hypodense
Hypodense is a CT scan word for an area that looks darker than the tissue around it because it blocks fewer X-rays.
- LI-RADS
LI-RADS is a scoring system used on liver scans in people at higher risk of liver cancer to describe how likely a spot is to be cancer.
- Atelectasis
Atelectasis means part of a lung is not fully expanded, so the small air sacs there are partly or completely deflated.
- BI-RADS
BI-RADS is a scoring system from 0 to 6 used on mammogram, breast ultrasound and breast MRI reports to describe findings and next steps.
- Cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly means the heart looks larger than expected, usually on a chest X-ray, and it is a description rather than a diagnosis.
- Clinical correlation
Clinical correlation means the radiologist is asking your doctor to compare the scan with your symptoms, examination and other tests.
- Consolidation
Consolidation on a chest scan means part of the lung that is normally filled with air is filled with something else, such as fluid or pus.
- Contrast
Contrast is a dye given before or during a scan to make blood vessels and certain tissues show up more clearly.
- Cyst
A cyst is a closed sac with a thin wall that usually holds fluid, and simple cysts seen on scans are very common and usually harmless.
- Degenerative changes
Degenerative changes means wear-and-tear changes in joints or the spine that commonly happen with age and use.
- Disc bulge
A disc bulge means a spinal disc extends a little beyond its normal edge, usually evenly around a wide area. It is very common.