[Incidental findings : Evaluation, management recommendations and legal considerations]

Incidental findings are part of the routine radiological reporting workflow and describe findings which are not primarily the focus of the clinical context or the request of the referring physician. The clinical implications of such incidental findings can be very different, for example simple renal cysts or space-occupying lesions suspected of being tumors. A categorization of clinical findings according to the clinical relevance is therefore recommended. Documentation and communication of clinically relevant incidental findings are a part of the radiological reporting process and essential for reduction of the medicolegal risk. Future information technology-assisted developments, e. g. the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) profiles, will help to standardize such workflows.