Incidental findings – knowing when they matter

Radiologists occasionally find something incidentally on ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI that is not related to the reason for the study. Examples include an isolated renal cyst or small focus of calcification in the liver. Many of these findings are of no consequence, but the radiologist's report often results in referral to a subspecialist, thus incurring unnecessary costs. Alternatively, incidental findings can identify conditions that have...