How RadiologyInfo.org Can Help You Prepare for an Imaging Exam

Updated

RadiologyInfo.org is a patient-education website that explains how imaging exams such as X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy are performed, what you may experience, and how to prepare. It is most useful for general preparation and expectation-setting before a scheduled exam. It is not a medical facility and does not answer individual medical questions—for those, the site directs you to your physician.

What the site covers

The site states it contains about 300 procedure, exam, radiation-safety, and disease descriptions spanning diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, and radiation safety, and that it is updated frequently. All material is reviewed and approved by radiology experts from RSNA, ACR, and ASRT, as well as other professional radiology organizations.

For exam preparation specifically, the homepage's "Recently Posted" list links directly to preparation guides for:

  • CT exams
  • MRI exams
  • Ultrasound exams
  • Nuclear medicine exams
  • X-ray exams

It also links to guides on reading your radiology report, including PET-CT and mammography reports, and to guidance on patient-friendly AI-generated summaries of radiology reports.

How to use it to prepare for your exam

  1. Identify your exam type. Confirm the exact name of your test from your appointment letter or referral—for example, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, or X-ray.
  2. Open the matching preparation guide. From the homepage, use the "How to Prepare for Your [Exam] Exam" links, or navigate through the "Tests and Treatments" section.
  3. Read for two things: what you may experience during the procedure, and what preparation the page describes. Use these to plan logistics such as timing and what to expect on the day.
  4. Check for pediatric notes. The site marks child-specific content with a hand symbol; some imaging tests and treatments have special pediatric considerations, so look for that marker if the exam is for a child.
  5. Confirm anything specific with your physician. The site explicitly states it is not a medical facility and asks readers to contact their physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist.

Expected result: you arrive at your appointment knowing the general flow of the exam and what the site says about preparing for it, with any personal medical questions routed to your care team.

What it can and cannot do

Need Can RadiologyInfo.org help?
Understand how an exam is performed Yes—procedure descriptions are the site's core content
General preparation guidance for CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, X-ray Yes—dedicated preparation pages are linked from the homepage
Pediatric considerations for certain tests Yes—marked with a child-specific symbol
Understand a radiology report Yes—guides on reading mammography and PET-CT reports
Answer your specific medical question No—the site directs you to your physician
Find a local imaging or radiation oncology provider Indirectly—the site points to the ACR Accredited Facilities Database

Practical notes

  • The site is a reference resource, not a scheduling or results portal; it does not replace instructions from the facility performing your exam.
  • Because content is updated frequently, check the preparation page close to your appointment date rather than relying on an older copy.
  • If your exam is for a child, scan the page for the hand symbol before assuming the adult guidance applies unchanged.

For anything beyond general preparation—such as whether a specific medication or condition affects your exam—contact your physician, as the site itself advises.