Can You Still Have Cancer with a Negative PET scan?
Yes, there are definitely cancers that can not be detected on a PET scan for various reasons. A negative PET scan does not mean you don’t have cancer. It does…
General Imaging
Can’t Rule Out Cancer – What Does It Mean?
“Can’t rule out cancer” is a phrase that is sometimes found in reports. This can obviously cause a lot of patient anxiety. The phrase basically means that the radiologist can…
Of No Clinical Significance – What Does it Mean?
Some radiologists will use the phrase: this finding is of no clinical significance. They mean to say that the finding is benign and they do not think it has any…
What Does Hypodensity Mean on CT?
Hypodensity means that a described structure in a report is darker on CT than the surrounding tissue or organ. It says nothing of the cause. Density on CT is…
What is a Night Hawk Report?
A night hawk report is issued by a radiologist who works for a company that covers a radiology practice after hours. A night hawk report is issued by a…
What Is an Incidental Finding?
An incidental finding is a lesion discovered on an imaging test that is unrelated to the reason for the exam. Incidental findings can be found on any imaging test. Incidental…
Bone Scan Test
Bone scan is a nuclear medicine test done to evaluate cancer, infections, arthritis and other conditions throughout the skeleton. The test images the entire skeleton. The test involves the…
What is a Stricture?
A stricture is a narrowing of a passageway in the body. Usually a stricture occurs in a tube like structures in the body such as the esophagus, the bowel, the…
Ultrasound Limited by Large Body Habitus
Limited by large body habitus on ultrasound is a phrase used by radiologists in reports. This means the ultrasound study is not very good because of increased fat tissue or…
Metastatic Bone Lesion on X-ray
Metastatic bone lesions on X-ray become visible when a primary cancer has spread to the bone. Many cancers can have spread to the bone. Most common cancers are breast,…
Correlate with Physical Exam Findings Suggested
Correlate with physical exam findings means that the radiologist has seen something abnormal on a radiology report. He is alerting the referring doctor that he needs to see if the…
Addendum Radiology Report
An addendum is sometimes issued by a radiologist in a report when there is additional information he wants to convey. An addendum is issued separately from the original report. It…