Radiology Epidemiological Statement
December 11th, 2017 | Clinical Connectionsby Chris Schaeffer, MD
Radiologists can affect patient outcomes. Today, both patients and practitioners have access to the final imaging report. The language radiologists use to describe findings can affect how patients see themselves and the disease process. Radiologists should use the standardized nomenclature for Lumbar spine MRI. The accurate and consistent description of findings allows for accurate diagnosis and treatment. This aids in the ability to differentiate the subtle clinical differences between patients allowing for more accurate analysis of outcomes.
A collaboration of radiology groups throughout Rochester has been initiated of which all have agreed to include a Radiology Epidemiologic Statement with every MRI of the Lumbar Spine report. This table shows the percentage of asymptomatic patients of a particular age range that have that finding on MRI. This begins to put into perspective how common these findings are and how necessary it is to look at these findings in the context of the clinical situation. Showing the patient the prevalence of findings on an MRI, helps define the clinical relevance of the findings and helps set expectations for treatment.
If you don’t see the table below or a similar description of these findings in your report, please contact the radiologist and have the report addended.
