Incidental findings

From an incidental finding one speaks in medicine, when in an investigation along with the actual reporting something comes to light, which has nothing to do with the current symptoms or disease that were the reason for the investigation. Even with an autopsy chance findings can not be made.

Incidental findings may be meaningless to the patient if it is, for example, is anatomic variants that have no clinical significance (example: lobus venae azygos ). However, you can also show other serious diseases. For example, when a CT scan, which was performed on a diverticulitis because of abdominal pain with suspicion of a small tumor can be found. In particular, in tumors of the adrenal gland and the pituitary gland ( in studies of the head) is spoken by the incidentaloma. In malignant tumors, the accidental discovery is sometimes regarded as a stroke of luck, namely, when the tumor was found at an early, treatable stage still well before he made symptoms themselves.

Incidental findings, which are collected in studies in healthy volunteers give, always occasion also to ethical considerations.

Literature and References

• Diagnostics