Applied Radiology

By C. Douglas Phillips, MD

An item of perennial radiologist irritation is the withholding of clinical information that could potentially influence your review of a study. The reason this came to me again as a blog topic was a recent request with a digitized hand-written request. And, on the request was 2 and a half paragraphs of clinical information! I am not kidding. It was not only the most detailed description of a headache I’ve ever read, it was the complete medical history and social history of the patient. It elaborated on the inciting elements for the headache, what did NOT result in a headache, and various and sundry ways the patient had discovered which could alleviate the headache.  It was entertaining, and not particularly enlightening.  It was too much history.  Have you ever stated that?  I’m not sure I ever had until that moment.

So, friends, you know what I’d like. What is the most useless piece of clinical information you’ve ever been provided on a request? Maybe you’ve had a head CT request that provided the clinical information of “knee pain.” Maybe a chest film came with the history “football player.”  Let’s hear them. 

Professional Biography: C. Douglas Phillips, MD, FACR, is a Professor of Radiology, Director of Head and Neck Imaging, at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York–Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY. He is a member of the Applied Radiology Editorial Advisory Board.