Scans and heart tests
How to read your X-ray report
An X-ray report is usually only a few lines long, but those lines are dense with radiology shorthand. Add your report below and each sentence of the findings and impression is restated in ordinary words.
Explain your x ray 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
- The findings and the impression separated into readable lines.
- Terms such as opacity, lucency and consolidation defined.
- Any follow-up the radiologist recommends, quoted as written.
- Questions to ask the doctor who requested the X-ray.
Wording you may see
- No acute abnormalityNothing new or urgent was seen
- OpacityAn area that looks whiter than expected on the image
- LucencyAn area that looks darker than expected
- EffusionFluid collected in a space, such as around a lung or inside a joint
- Degenerative changesWear-related changes, which become common with age
- Clinical correlation recommendedThe radiologist is asking your doctor to match the image with your symptoms and examination
What this tool cannot tell you
An X-ray shows shapes and shadows, and a report describes them. It often cannot say what a finding is, only what it looks like, which is why reports suggest correlation or further imaging. MedicDecode restates the report and adds no diagnosis. If the report recommends follow-up, contact your doctor promptly.
Common questions
What does a normal X-ray report look like?
It usually describes each area looked at and ends with an impression such as no acute abnormality or unremarkable study.
Will a radiologist tell you if something is wrong?
The radiologist writes the report for the doctor who ordered it, who then discusses it with you. Urgent findings are passed on quickly.
What do PA, AP and lateral mean?
They describe the direction of the X-ray beam: back to front, front to back, and from the side. They tell the reader how the picture was taken.
The report says no acute abnormality but I still have pain. Why?
Many causes of pain do not show on an X-ray. Tell your doctor that the symptoms are continuing.
Do I upload the X-ray image?
No. MedicDecode reads the written report only and does not look at images.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Atelectasis
Atelectasis means part of a lung is not fully expanded, so the small air sacs there are partly or completely deflated.
- Cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly means the heart looks larger than expected, usually on a chest X-ray, and it is a description rather than a diagnosis.
- 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.
- Degenerative changes
Degenerative changes means wear-and-tear changes in joints or the spine that commonly happen with age and use.
- Effusion
An effusion is extra fluid that has collected in a space in the body, such as around the lungs, in a joint or around the heart.
- 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.
- Clinical correlation
Clinical correlation means the radiologist is asking your doctor to compare the scan with your symptoms, examination and other tests.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ejection fraction
Ejection fraction is the percentage of blood the heart's main pumping chamber pushes out with each beat. It is one measure of heart pumping.
- Enhancement
Enhancement means an area becomes brighter on a scan after contrast dye is given, which shows it has a blood supply.