How RadiologyInfo.org Helps Patients Read Radiology Reports

Updated

RadiologyInfo.org offers patient-oriented articles that explain how to read common radiology reports—including dedicated guides for PET-CT and mammography reports—alongside general guidance on reading your report and on patient-friendly AI-generated summaries. It is an educational resource, not a medical facility, so it helps you understand report language and prepare questions before discussing results with your physician.

What the site provides for report reading

RadiologyInfo.org is produced with review and approval by radiology experts from RSNA, ACR, and ASRT, as well as other professional radiology organizations. Its report-reading content sits within a broader library of roughly 300 procedure, exam, radiation safety, and disease descriptions covering diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, and radiation safety.

The report-related resources listed on the site include:

  • How to Read Your PET-CT Report — a procedure-specific walkthrough of what a PET-CT report contains.
  • How to Read Your Mammography Report — a procedure-specific guide to mammography report structure and terminology.
  • Reading Your Radiology Report — general guidance on approaching a radiology report.
  • Guidance for Patient-Friendly AI-Generated Summaries of Radiology Reports — explains how AI-generated plain-language summaries of reports should be understood.

How to use it before talking to your physician

  1. Identify the exam type named on your report (for example, PET-CT or mammography).
  2. Open the matching "How to Read Your…" article if one exists; otherwise start with "Reading Your Radiology Report."
  3. Match the sections of your report to the article's explanations of what each part typically describes.
  4. Write down terms you don't understand and bring them to your physician.
  5. If you received an AI-generated summary, read the site's guidance on those summaries before relying on the wording.

The expected result is a clearer sense of what your report covers and which questions to raise—not a diagnosis. The site explicitly states it is not a medical facility and directs specific medical questions and referrals to your physician.

What it does not do

RadiologyInfo.org does not interpret your individual results, provide a diagnosis, or replace a conversation with your clinician. Its value is in explaining how exams are performed, what you may experience, how to prepare, and how report content is typically organized. For finding a local imaging or radiation oncology provider, the site points to the ACR Accredited Facilities Database rather than offering its own lookup.

Practical note

The site states that, to help ensure current and accurate information, copying is not permitted but linking to the site is encouraged—so share links rather than reproduced text when passing guidance to family members.