Common Reporting Phrases for Chest CT
The words used in a chest CT report are not merely stylistic choices. Using terms such as “ground-glass opacity,” “consolidation,” “reticulation,” “honeycombing,” and “traction...
RadPhrases Editorial Team5 min read
REPORTING PHRASES · CHEST CT
The words used in a chest CT report are not merely stylistic choices. Using terms such as “ground-glass opacity,” “consolidation,” “reticulation,” “honeycombing,” and “traction bronchiectasis” according to shared definitions improves consistency among clinicians and across follow-up examinations.
The examples below show how commonly encountered findings can be phrased. Follow-up and management recommendations should be determined separately according to age, risk factors, immune status, cancer history, examination indication, and current local or international guidelines.
| Important usage note The sentences in this article are educational examples. Prefabricated text does not replace image review or the radiologist’s clinical judgment. Laterality, level, size, technical adequacy, comparison, and impression must be reverified for every case. |
|---|
Technical adequacy and comparison
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Contrast-enhanced examination | Chest CT was acquired following intravenous contrast administration. |
| Noncontrast examination | The examination is noncontrast; characterization of mediastinal vascular structures and solid-organ lesions is limited. |
| Respiratory motion artifact | Respiratory motion artifact partially limits assessment, particularly of the basal segments of the lower lobes. |
| Suboptimal inspiration | Suboptimal inspiration may limit differentiation of dependent opacity from true parenchymal disease. |
| Comparison | Findings were compared with the chest CT dated .... |
Pulmonary nodule and mass phrases
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Solid nodule | A solid pulmonary nodule with a mean diameter of ... mm is present in the apical segment of the right upper lobe. |
| Ground-glass nodule | There is a pure ground-glass nodule measuring ... mm in the left upper lobe. |
| Part-solid nodule | A part-solid nodule is present in the right lower lobe, measuring ... mm in total diameter with a ... mm solid component. |
| Morphology | The nodule has smooth/lobulated/spiculated margins; no internal calcification, fat, or cavitation is identified. |
| Comparison | The nodule is stable in size and morphology compared with the prior examination / demonstrates interval growth. |
| Multiple nodules | Multiple pulmonary nodules are present in both lungs, the largest measuring ... mm, with a ... distribution. |
| Mass | There is an irregular solid mass in the left upper lobe measuring approximately ... cm and associated with the bronchovascular structures. |
Ground-glass opacity, consolidation, and air-space disease
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Ground-glass opacity | Multifocal ground-glass opacities are present in both lungs, with peripheral and lower-lobe predominance. |
| Consolidation | There is consolidation with air bronchograms in the posterior segment of the right lower lobe. |
| Crazy paving | Interlobular septal thickening and intralobular lines accompanying ground-glass opacity produce a crazy-paving pattern. |
| Perilobular distribution | Perilobular opacities are present in the lower lobes. |
| Dependent change | Dependent subsegmental atelectatic opacities are present posteriorly in both lower lobes. |
| Cavitation | A thick- and irregular-walled cavity is present within the area of right upper lobe consolidation. |
Interstitial patterns and fibrotic changes
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Reticulation | Reticular opacities are present in the bilateral basal and subpleural lungs. |
| Traction bronchiectasis | Traction bronchiectasis and bronchiolectasis accompany the reticulation. |
| Honeycombing | Stacked cystic air spaces in the bilateral basal subpleural lungs produce a honeycombing pattern. |
| Septal thickening | Smooth interlobular septal thickening is present in both lungs. |
| Distribution of fibrosis | Fibrotic changes have lower-lobe and subpleural predominance, with a clear apicobasal gradient. |
| Air trapping | Air trapping is present within areas of mosaic attenuation on expiratory images. |
Airway findings
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Bronchial wall thickening | There is thickening of the central and segmental bronchial walls in both lungs. |
| Bronchiectasis | Cylindrical bronchiectasis is present in both lower lobes. |
| Mucus plugging | Mucus plugging is present in the segmental bronchi of the right lower lobe, with distal subsegmental atelectasis. |
| Tree-in-bud | Centrilobular nodules and a tree-in-bud pattern are present in the right upper lobe. |
| Endobronchial lesion | An endobronchial soft-tissue-attenuation lesion partially narrows the distal left main bronchus. |
| Trachea | The trachea and main bronchi are patent; no definite endoluminal lesion is identified. |
Mediastinum, lymph nodes, and cardiovascular structures
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Lymph node | A right lower paratracheal lymph node measures ... mm in short axis. |
| No lymphadenopathy | No pathologically enlarged mediastinal or hilar lymph node is identified. |
| Aorta | Atherosclerotic wall calcifications are present in the thoracic aorta. |
| Pulmonary artery | The main pulmonary artery is enlarged; clinical and echocardiographic correlation for pulmonary hypertension may be considered. |
| Pericardium | A small pericardial effusion is present. |
| Heart | There is marked enlargement of the cardiac chambers / calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries. |
Pleura and chest wall
| Scenario / purpose | Example reporting phrase and usage note |
|---|---|
| Pleural effusion | There is a free right pleural effusion measuring up to ... mm in thickness. |
| Loculated effusion | A loculated fluid collection is present in the left posterolateral pleural space. |
| Pleural thickening | Bilateral apical pleuroparenchymal thickening is present. |
| Pneumothorax | A small right pneumothorax is present. |
| Chest wall | No acute destructive lesion is identified in the imaged osseous structures. |
| Soft tissue | A soft-tissue mass measuring ... is present in the left lateral chest wall. |
Quick check before signing the report
- Are the terms consistent with current, widely accepted thoracic imaging definitions?
- Were the nodule’s lobe/segment, size, attenuation, and morphology documented?
- Was the distribution specified (focal/diffuse, central/peripheral, upper/lower lobe, subpleural)?
- Is the change from the prior examination clear?
- When follow-up is recommended, were clinical risk and the scope of the relevant guideline considered?
References
- American College of Radiology. ACR Practice Parameter for Communication of Diagnostic Imaging Findings. Revised 2025. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Hartung MP, Bickle IC, Gaillard F, Kanne JP. How to Create a Great Radiology Report. RadioGraphics. 2020;40(6). Source (opens in a new tab)
- Bankier AA, MacMahon H, Colby T, et al. Fleischner Society: Glossary of Terms for Thoracic Imaging. Radiology. 2024;310(2):e232558. Source (opens in a new tab)
- American College of Radiology. ACR–SPR Practice Parameter for Performing and Interpreting Diagnostic Computed Tomography (CT). Revised 2022. Source (opens in a new tab)
Clinical use note
This content is educational and is not patient-specific medical advice. Every phrase, template, classification result, and recommendation must be verified and adapted by a physician using the complete examination, clinical context, current guidelines, and institutional protocol.
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