There are many smokers in China, and with the continuous decrease in urban air quality index, the respiratory departments of hospitals are crowded every day, and the incidence of lung diseases is increasing day by day. The necessary method to diagnose lung diseases is to perform a lung CT scan, and the doctor can see the structure and pathological tissue of the patient’s lungs through the lung CT report. How long does it take to get the lung CT report?

In China, it is common for doctors to ask patients to make an advance appointment for the lung CT scan. After the appointment is successfully made, the results cannot be obtained on the same day. The basic time is usually the next day or the day after, and inpatients are generally sent to the relevant department. The specific way the hospital informs you, generally, the appointment dialogue box will remind you when to pick up the report. The lung CT report usually has only one copy, so it should be picked up immediately and stored properly.

The lung CT report is mainly divided into two aspects: the first half is the text description of the image diagnosis, which is written in an easily understandable text for the patient, where the doctor who performs the examination writes out the text of what he sees. For lay patients, there is no need to pick at the words in this part; the summary language written at the hospital is sufficient. The second half is ‘image diagnosis and confirmation’, where the doctor makes a judgment based on the objective facts, which can be one of four situations: no abnormalities, abnormalities with good judgment, possible malignancy, and uncertainty.

If there are English abbreviations in the image diagnosis and confirmation of the lung CT report, the patient should pay attention. Most malignant tumors are indicated by English abbreviations. For example, MT indicates a malignant tumor, CA indicates a certain type of cancer. When these two English numbers appear, the patient needs to consult the attending physician before surgery. MIA means minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, AIS means in situ carcinoma, which respectively mean very early cancer, 0 stage lung cancer, or in simpler terms, precancerous lesions. You should consult a professional respiratory medicine or thoracic surgery physician.

In summary, the doctor asks you to report the lung CT scan. You need to go to the CT dialogue box at the hospital’s outpatient department to make an appointment. Generally, the results are available within two days, and outpatients can pick them up immediately. If the lung CT report indicates something, the patient themselves may see the English abbreviations, which might indicate a more serious condition and immediate consultation is needed. If the condition is severe, do not worry, as the treatment rate for early-stage cancer is actually very high today.