Scans and heart tests
MRI report explainer
MRI reports describe tissues by how bright or dark they look on different scan settings and, for the spine, work through one level at a time. Add your report below to see each line restated and the vocabulary explained.
Explain your MRI 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
- Findings set out level by level or structure by structure.
- Terms such as signal intensity, edema and stenosis defined.
- Grading words such as mild, moderate and severe kept exactly as written.
- Questions to ask about which findings relate to your symptoms.
Wording you may see
- T1, T2, STIR, FLAIR, DWIDifferent scan settings that highlight different tissues
- Hyperintense and hypointenseBrighter or darker than expected on a given setting
- Disc bulge, protrusion and extrusionDescriptions of how far a spinal disc extends beyond its usual outline
- StenosisNarrowing of a canal or opening
- EdemaExtra fluid within a tissue
- Partial-thickness and full-thickness tearHow far a tear extends through a tendon or ligament
What this tool cannot tell you
MRI is sensitive, so reports often list several findings, and many of them are also seen in people who have no symptoms at all. The report cannot say which finding, if any, explains how you feel. MedicDecode restates the report. Matching findings to symptoms is your doctor's job.
Common questions
My spine MRI lists findings at several levels. Is that bad?
Reports often describe changes at more than one level, and such changes are common in people without back pain too. Ask your doctor which findings matter for you.
What does increased T2 signal mean?
The area looked brighter than expected on a T2 setting, which often reflects more water in the tissue. It describes an appearance and has many possible causes.
What is gadolinium?
It is the contrast agent sometimes injected during an MRI to make certain tissues show more clearly. Reports say with contrast or post-gadolinium when it was used.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- 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.
- Herniation
A herniation is when part of something pushes out through a weak spot. On spine scans it usually means disc material pushing out of place.
- 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.
- Stenosis
Stenosis means a narrowing of a passage in the body, such as the spinal canal, a blood vessel or a heart valve.
- 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.