English for Radiology: Essential Vocabulary & Phrases

"plain radiograph"

A two-dimensional diagnostic image produced by passing X-rays through the body onto a detector; the most common and widely available imaging study

"The emergency physician ordered a plain radiograph of the chest to evaluate the patient for pneumonia and rule out a pneumothorax."

"computed tomography"

A cross-sectional imaging technique that uses rotating X-ray beams and computer reconstruction to generate detailed axial, coronal, and sagittal images of internal structures

"Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast was requested to characterise the hepatic lesion identified on ultrasound."

"magnetic resonance imaging"

A non-ionising imaging technique using strong magnetic fields and radiofrequency pulses to create detailed images of soft tissues, based on the behaviour of hydrogen protons

"Magnetic resonance imaging of the knee demonstrated a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament with bone marrow oedema at the lateral femoral condyle."

"ultrasound"

A real-time imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves reflected from tissue interfaces to generate images, carrying no radiation risk

"Ultrasound of the right upper quadrant confirmed cholelithiasis with gallbladder wall thickening and a positive sonographic Murphy sign."

"positron emission tomography"

A nuclear medicine imaging technique that detects gamma rays produced by a positron-emitting radiotracer to map metabolic activity, most commonly glucose uptake in oncology

"Positron emission tomography combined with CT demonstrated avid FDG uptake in the mediastinal lymph nodes, consistent with active lymphoma."

"fluoroscopy"

A continuous real-time X-ray technique that allows dynamic visualisation of moving structures or contrast agents passing through body cavities

"Fluoroscopy-guided upper gastrointestinal series showed a smooth filling defect at the gastro-oesophageal junction suspicious for a submucosal lesion."

"nuclear scintigraphy"

A functional imaging method that administers a radioactive tracer and records its distribution using a gamma camera to evaluate physiological processes

"Nuclear scintigraphy with technetium-labelled methylene diphosphonate revealed multiple foci of increased uptake throughout the axial skeleton, raising concern for osseous metastases."

"dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry"

A low-dose X-ray technique that measures bone mineral density by comparing the attenuation of two different X-ray energies through bone and soft tissue

"Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine and hip showed a T-score of −2.7, meeting the diagnostic threshold for osteoporosis."

"attenuation"

The reduction in X-ray beam intensity as it passes through matter; tissues are described as hyperattenuating, isoattenuating, or hypoattenuating relative to a reference structure on CT

"The hepatic lesion demonstrated central hyperattenuation on the unenhanced CT, suggesting the presence of haemorrhage or calcification within the mass."

"signal intensity"

The brightness of a structure on MRI, reflecting its T1 and T2 relaxation properties; described as hyperintense, isointense, or hypointense relative to a reference tissue

"The spinal cord lesion appeared markedly hyperintense on T2-weighted images and hypointense on T1-weighted images, a pattern consistent with demyelination."

"enhancement"

An increase in attenuation or signal intensity following administration of contrast agent, indicating increased vascularity or breakdown of the blood-brain barrier

"Post-contrast imaging showed avid, heterogeneous enhancement of the mass with a peripheral enhancing rim and central non-enhancing necrosis."

"filling defect"

An area within a contrast-opacified lumen where contrast fails to fill, indicating the presence of a thrombus, tumour, polyp, or calculus

"CT pulmonary angiography revealed a large central filling defect in the right main pulmonary artery, consistent with an acute pulmonary embolism."

"mass effect"

The displacement, compression, or distortion of adjacent normal structures caused by a space-occupying lesion

"The right frontal lobe tumour exerted significant mass effect, causing 8 mm of midline shift to the left and effacement of the ipsilateral lateral ventricle."

"lucency"

An area of relative darkness on a radiograph or CT representing decreased density, such as air, fat, or a lytic bone lesion

"A well-defined lucency was identified at the base of the fifth metatarsal, consistent with an avulsion fracture at the insertion of the peroneus brevis tendon."

"heterogeneous"

Describing a lesion or tissue with non-uniform internal composition, resulting in mixed signal, attenuation, or echogenicity on imaging

"The adrenal mass appeared heterogeneous with areas of calcification and internal necrosis, features that raised concern for adrenocortical carcinoma."

"artefact"

Any feature on a diagnostic image that does not represent true anatomy but is caused by technical factors such as patient motion, metallic implants, or beam hardening

"Susceptibility artefact from the patient's hip prosthesis significantly degraded image quality on the pelvic MRI, limiting assessment of the adjacent soft tissues."

"percutaneous biopsy"

A procedure in which a needle is advanced through the skin under image guidance to obtain a tissue sample from a lesion for histological analysis

"CT-guided percutaneous biopsy of the lung nodule yielded sufficient material for immunohistochemical staining, confirming a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma."

"embolisation"

The deliberate occlusion of a blood vessel by injecting embolic agents through a catheter to stop haemorrhage, devascularise a tumour, or treat vascular malformations

"Uterine artery embolisation was performed as an alternative to hysterectomy, successfully reducing the size of the patient's symptomatic fibroids over six months."

"angioplasty"

A catheter-based procedure that uses an inflatable balloon to widen a stenosed or occluded blood vessel, often followed by stent placement to maintain patency

"Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the left superficial femoral artery restored normal triphasic flow and resolved the patient's critical limb ischaemia."

"stent placement"

The deployment of a tubular metallic or plastic scaffold within a vessel or duct to maintain its patency after angioplasty or to treat a stricture

"A self-expanding metal stent was placed across the biliary stricture under fluoroscopic guidance, providing immediate relief of obstructive jaundice."

"drainage catheter"

A flexible tube inserted under image guidance into a fluid collection, abscess, or obstructed cavity to allow continuous external drainage

"An 8-French drainage catheter was placed into the pelvic abscess under ultrasound guidance and secured with a locking loop, yielding 300 ml of purulent fluid."

"radiofrequency ablation"

A minimally invasive procedure that uses high-frequency alternating current delivered through a needle electrode to generate heat and destroy tumour tissue in situ

"Radiofrequency ablation of the 2.5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma achieved a complete ablation zone with 1 cm margins on the one-month follow-up MRI."

"venous access"

The establishment of a reliable route into the venous system for chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, or long-term medication, often via a tunnelled catheter or implantable port

"A right internal jugular tunnelled venous access catheter was inserted under ultrasound guidance and positioned with the tip at the cavoatrial junction."

"thrombolysis"

The pharmacological dissolution of a thrombus by direct catheter-directed infusion of a thrombolytic agent into the occluded vessel

"Catheter-directed thrombolysis with alteplase was initiated for the acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis, with complete clot lysis achieved after 18 hours of infusion."

"consolidation"

Replacement of normal air-filled alveolar spaces by fluid, pus, blood, or tumour cells, resulting in increased opacity on chest radiographs and CT

"Lobar consolidation with air bronchograms in the right lower lobe was consistent with bacterial pneumonia, and the patient was started on empirical antibiotics."

"pleural effusion"

An abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall, visible as a dependent opacity on imaging

"A large right pleural effusion was causing significant mediastinal shift to the left, prompting urgent thoracocentesis to relieve the patient's respiratory distress."

"lytic lesion"

A destructive bone abnormality characterised by loss of normal trabecular and cortical architecture, most commonly caused by metastatic disease, myeloma, or infection

"Multiple lytic lesions throughout the spine and pelvis, without surrounding sclerosis, were highly suspicious for metastatic deposits in this patient with known breast cancer."

"infarction"

Tissue death caused by ischaemia following occlusion of a supplying artery, producing characteristic imaging findings that evolve over time

"Diffusion-weighted MRI demonstrated restricted diffusion in the left middle cerebral artery territory, confirming an acute ischaemic infarction of less than six hours duration."

"pneumothorax"

The presence of air in the pleural space, which may be spontaneous, traumatic, or iatrogenic, seen as a visceral pleural line separated from the chest wall

"A large left-sided tension pneumothorax with tracheal deviation to the right was identified on the trauma chest radiograph, requiring immediate needle decompression."

"abscess"

A walled-off collection of pus, typically appearing as a thick-walled fluid collection with peripheral rim enhancement on contrast-enhanced imaging

"Contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen revealed a 5 cm right hepatic abscess with a thick enhancing wall, gas locules, and surrounding inflammatory fat stranding."

"thrombosis"

The formation of a blood clot within a vessel, seen on imaging as an intraluminal filling defect with loss of normal contrast opacification and flow

"Doppler ultrasound confirmed non-compressibility and absence of venous flow in the left femoral vein, establishing a diagnosis of acute deep vein thrombosis."

"stenosis"

A narrowing of a vessel lumen or tubular structure that reduces flow, quantified as a percentage reduction in diameter compared with the adjacent normal segment

"CT angiography demonstrated high-grade stenosis of approximately 80% at the origin of the left internal carotid artery, warranting referral for carotid endarterectomy."

"iodinated contrast medium"

A water-soluble radiopaque agent containing iodine that is injected intravenously to increase the attenuation of blood and vascular structures on CT and fluoroscopy

"Non-ionic iodinated contrast medium was administered at a rate of 4 ml/s to achieve optimal arterial phase enhancement during the CT angiography of the thoracic aorta."

"gadolinium"

A paramagnetic rare-earth metal chelated to a carrier molecule and used as an intravenous contrast agent in MRI to shorten T1 relaxation times and increase signal intensity

"Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the brain revealed leptomeningeal enhancement that was not apparent on the unenhanced sequences, suggesting carcinomatous meningitis."

"effective dose"

A single dosimetric quantity expressed in millisieverts that accounts for both the amount of radiation received and the differing radiation sensitivities of the irradiated tissues

"The effective dose for the CT of the abdomen and pelvis was estimated at 10 mSv, approximately equivalent to three years of natural background radiation."

"ALARA principle"

The radiation protection philosophy of keeping exposure "As Low As Reasonably Achievable", optimising imaging protocols to minimise dose without compromising diagnostic quality

"In accordance with the ALARA principle, the paediatric CT protocol uses weight-based dose modulation to reduce the effective dose to the lowest level that maintains diagnostic image quality."

"contrast nephropathy"

Acute kidney injury that occurs within 48–72 hours of iodinated contrast administration, most commonly in patients with pre-existing renal impairment or diabetes

"Given the patient's serum creatinine of 180 μmol/L, intravenous hydration was administered before and after the CT to reduce the risk of contrast nephropathy."

"fluoroscopic dose rate"

The rate of radiation output from a fluoroscopy unit, measured in milligray per minute, which must be minimised by reducing frame rate, field size, and screening time

"The interventional radiologist used last-image-hold and collimation to keep the fluoroscopic dose rate below 10 mGy/min throughout the two-hour procedure."

"radiation-induced deterministic effect"

A harmful tissue reaction to radiation that occurs when the dose exceeds a threshold, including skin erythema, hair loss, and cataracts, with severity increasing with dose

"Extended fluoroscopy times during complex cardiac ablation procedures carry a risk of radiation-induced deterministic effects such as skin injury if cumulative doses exceed established thresholds."

"scatter radiation"

Radiation deflected from its primary path by interaction with matter, which constitutes the main source of occupational exposure to staff working in fluoroscopy and interventional suites

"The radiographer stood behind the mobile lead screen during the portable chest radiograph to minimise exposure from scatter radiation during the bedside examination."

"incidental finding"

An unexpected abnormality discovered on imaging performed for an unrelated clinical indication, which may require further investigation or follow-up

"An incidental finding of a 1.2 cm right adrenal nodule was noted on this CT requested for staging of colorectal cancer; dedicated adrenal protocol CT is recommended for further characterisation."

"differential diagnosis"

A ranked list of the most likely pathological diagnoses that could account for the observed imaging appearances, from most to least probable

"The differential diagnosis for the solitary pulmonary nodule includes primary bronchogenic carcinoma, pulmonary carcinoid tumour, and a granuloma from prior infection."

"clinical correlation"

The integration of radiological findings with the patient's symptoms, clinical examination, and laboratory results to reach an accurate overall diagnosis

"Clinical correlation is recommended, as the small-volume free fluid in the pelvis may represent a physiological finding or could be significant in the context of the patient's acute abdomen."

"urgent communication"

The immediate notification of a referring clinician about a critical imaging finding that requires prompt clinical action to prevent patient harm

"Urgent communication was made by telephone to the emergency physician regarding the CT finding of a large subdural haematoma with midline shift requiring immediate neurosurgical assessment."

"structured report"

A standardised radiology report format that organises findings into predefined sections to improve clarity, completeness, and comparability across readers and institutions

"The department adopted a structured report template for CT pulmonary angiography that mandates comment on clot burden, right heart strain, and incidental findings above a threshold size."

"comparison study"

A prior imaging examination reviewed alongside the current study to assess interval change in the size, morphology, or distribution of known or new findings

"Comparison with the chest CT from 18 months ago demonstrates significant interval growth of the right upper lobe nodule from 8 mm to 14 mm, necessitating tissue sampling."

"image-guided biopsy"

A radiological procedure in which real-time imaging — ultrasound, CT, or MRI — is used to direct a needle precisely into a target lesion for diagnostic tissue sampling

"The multidisciplinary team consensus was that image-guided biopsy under CT fluoroscopy was the safest approach for accessing the retroperitoneal lymph node cluster."

"follow-up recommendation"

Advice given at the end of a radiology report specifying the type, modality, and interval of surveillance imaging required for indeterminate or incompletely characterised findings

"A follow-up recommendation for a repeat CT in six months was made to assess the stability of the 6 mm hepatic cystic lesion that was too small to characterise definitively at this time."