Clinical correlation recommended: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Also written as: correlate clinically, clinical correlation advised, correlate with clinical history, correlate with laboratory values

Clinical correlation recommended means the radiologist asks your doctor to compare a finding with your symptoms, examination and test results.

What it means

A scan shows how the body looks, not how you feel. Many findings mean different things depending on your symptoms, examination, blood tests and history. The radiologist often sees only a short note about why the scan was ordered. Clinical correlation recommended asks the doctor who knows you to weigh the image against that wider picture. It is a request for context, not a sign that something is wrong.

When it matters

Often the answer is simple. A hazy patch in the lung means more if you have a cough and fever than if you feel well. Your doctor may compare the finding with your examination, blood tests or older scans. If things are still unclear, another test may be suggested. The phrase is very common and does not by itself make a finding more worrying.

Questions to ask your doctor

Which finding does the radiologist want compared with my symptoms?
Do my symptoms or blood tests make this finding more or less likely to matter?
Is another test needed, or does my history already explain it?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.