Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/How We Do It/What does it mean when my child’s radiology report says there is a “lesion”?

What does it mean when my child’s radiology report says there is a “lesion”?

What does it mean when my child’s radiology report says there is a “lesion”?
October 26, 2020
0 Comments
By: Tony Dandino

We can all probably agree that medical reports can be confusing. The words doctors use to describe things are often not used in any other walk of life, and it can sometimes seem like they are designed to hide information instead of share it.  

Radiology reports often use the term “lesion” to describe a finding. In medicine, a lesion is defined as “any damage or abnormal change.” For example, on the skin, a lesion could be a freckle, a bruise, a scar, or a tumor. In most cases, the radiologist uses this term to describe something that is abnormal, without saying exactly what it is. You may wonder, “Why not say exactly what it is?” Usually that’s because the radiologist knows the finding on the x–ray, CT or MRI scan could be caused by one of several different things, and they can’t tell which one of those things it is from that exam alone. A complete report will list the things the radiologist thinks the lesion most likely is and it may recommend additional tests that will help decide, or at least narrow down, the list of potential diagnoses.    

Sometimes the additional test is just a repeat of the same test, done several months later. The reason to do that is to see if the lesion is changing over time. Using the skin examples above, a freckle that doesn’t change over 6 months is just a freckle, but one that grows and bleeds is more likely to be a tumor. If one of the possible choices is something that is expected to change quickly, a short follow up is usually recommended. For things that change very slowly, a longer follow up is ordered. 

The radiologist’s report is just one part of the work used to solve medical questions. Your child’s other doctors will take the information from the report and combine it with what they know from laboratory tests and from physically examining your child to help decide if the “lesion” described in the report has anything to do with what is bothering him or her. Lesions that are unrelated to symptoms are typically called “incidental findings.” Sometimes they are important and sometimes they are not. You should discuss any findings with your child’s doctor to decide what to do about them. 

Dr. Blaise Jones, (author); Tony Dandino, (RT(MR), editor; Meredith Towbin, copy editor

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

Happy New Year 2023!
Happy New Year 2023!
New Employees Joins Our IRC Group
New Employees Joins Our IRC Group
Getting back to normal this holiday season
Getting back to normal this holiday season
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas 2022!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas 2022!
TAGS:
  • blaise jones
  • lesion
  • radiology
Avatar photo

About the author: Tony Dandino

Tony is an MRI Technologist at Cincinnati Children’s. Tony has been in his role for several years and serves as a Charge Tech, Quality Improvement Coach and Safety Coach for the MRI department. Tony has always known he wanted to work with children and in the medical field. Working at Cincinnati Children's has been the best of both worlds. Every day is something new and Tony can never wait to start the next adventure.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Comments Yet

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 1.8k views
  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  1.4k views
  • Febrile Seizures: Why They Happen and What to Do 761 views
  • Bedwetting Solutions: Tips for Helping Your Child Overcome It 721 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 698 views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 676 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center