Patient education: Incidental findings on imaging tests (The Basics)

What are incidental findings? — "Incidental findings" is a term doctors use when results from an imaging test show something that they were not looking for. (Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body.) For example, if someone has a chest X-ray to check for a broken rib, but the doctor also discovers a tumor, the tumor is an incidental finding.

The incidental finding often shows up as a "spot" on the image. Sometimes, doctors can tell what a spot is right away. Other times, they need to do more tests to figure it out.

What do my results mean? — Incidental findings are fairly common, and not all of them are a problem. It can be scary to find something you weren't expecting on an imaging test. But try to keep calm until you know more.

Some incidental findings might be serious and need treatment, like some types of tumors. But not all incidental findings are things that will cause harm. Some findings are "benign." This means that they will not cause health problems.

What happens next? — If you have an incidental finding after an imaging test, your doctor will try to figure out exactly what it is. They will ask you about your "health history." This involves asking you questions about any health problems you have or had in the past, past surgeries, and any medicines you take.

In some cases, the doctor will want to repeat the imaging test that showed the incidental finding. This might be done right away or later. You might also need to have more tests. These might include:

●Other imaging tests

●Lab tests

●Biopsy – For a biopsy, a doctor takes a small piece of tissue from the area that they are looking at. Then, the tissue is examined under a microscope.

Once your doctor knows exactly what the incidental finding is, they will talk to you what it means. If it is a problem that needs treatment, they will talk to you about your options.

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