[Image interpretation and the radiological report]

The radiological report is the cornerstone of communication between radiologists and referring physicians and patients, respectively. The report is comprised of image interpretation on the one hand and communication of this interpretation on the other hand.

To outline different types of radiological reports (regarding content as well as structure) and their communication. To this end, current guidelines are summarized and clinical examples are presented.

The radiological report is typically a written piece of free text prose and highly individualized regarding its quality, precision, and structure. In order to improve the understanding of the written report, additional material (e.g., annotations, images, tables) can be supplemented (multimedia-enhanced reporting). In terms of standardization, national and international radiological associations promote structured reporting in radiology. However, this is not without issues.

Effective communication should improve patient care and it should be clear and provided in a timely manner. As communication in clinical reality is often hampered by various factors, internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be developed to improve communication workflows. to improve communication procedures.