LogoReadingScan
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • Imaging Glossary
LogoReadingScan

Your report is in. Understand it before your appointment.

Product
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • FAQ
Scan Types
  • X-ray Reader
  • CT Scan Reader
  • MRI Report Analysis
  • Ultrasound Report Reader
  • PET Scan Reader
Free tools
  • DICOM to JPG converter
Resources
  • Blog
Company
  • About
  • Contact
Legal
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2026 ReadingScan. All Rights Reserved.Operated by Zhou Zean (sole proprietor) · Shop, 26 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong · privacy@readingscan.com

Sample report — not a real patient

Everything below is an example written for demonstration. It is a composite of textbook knee MRI findings, not anyone's medical record, and it must not be used to interpret your own scan.

Sample AI Scan Report: A Knee MRI, Explained in Plain English

This is the full output ReadingScan gives you after you upload a scan or a radiology report — the same layout, the same sections, nothing removed. Read it end to end before you decide whether to upload your own.

3
findings explained
6
questions for your doctor
8
medical terms defined

What this example shows

  • •A direct answer to the worry the patient typed in when uploading — before any medical detail.
  • •Every finding in plain language: what was seen, what it means, how common it is, and what to do about it.
  • •The frightening things the scan ruled out, stated explicitly instead of left unsaid.
  • •Questions you can take to your appointment, plus a glossary of the terms in your report.

Your Knee MRI Results, Explained

Generated on 2026-08-30 · AI-powered educational summary

📅
Worth monitoring. Discuss at your next appointment
Key Takeaways

Your MRI shows a small tear in the inner cushion of your right knee (the medial meniscus), a little extra fluid in the joint, and early softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap. None of this is an emergency, and none of it points to a broken bone or a torn ligament. This is the wear-and-tear pattern radiologists see most often in adults with knee pain, and it is usually managed with physical therapy first rather than surgery.

About your concern

My right knee has been catching and aching on the inner side for about three months. I am worried this means I need surgery.

Your scan does explain the catching and the inner-side ache: there is a small tear in the back of the medial meniscus, exactly the structure that sits where you feel the pain. What the scan does not show is anything that forces an operation. The tear is small and degenerative, the ligaments are intact, the bones are intact, and the knee is not locked in a fixed position. For this pattern, large trials found that structured physical therapy produced the same results at one and two years as arthroscopic surgery, which is why most clinicians start there. Surgery becomes the conversation if the knee truly locks and will not straighten, or if several months of good rehabilitation leave you no better.

Exam Type
Knee MRI
Body Part
Right knee
Source
Report text only

Detailed Findings

📅Worth Monitoring

Small tear in the inner knee cushion(Oblique tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus)

What was found

The back portion of the medial meniscus — the C-shaped cushion on the inner side of your knee — contains an oblique line of bright signal that reaches the joint surface. The tear measures about 8 mm and the rest of the meniscus keeps its normal shape and position.

What this means

A tear that reaches the surface means the cushion is no longer perfectly sealed, which is why the inner side of the knee can ache, catch or feel like it briefly gives way. A tear of this size in this location is almost always degenerative — the tissue thinned with age and gave way during ordinary loading — rather than the result of a single injury.

Meniscus tears are found on MRI in roughly 30% of adults over 50, and in a large share of those people the knee causes no symptoms at all.

What to do

Bring this finding to your doctor or an orthopaedic clinician. For degenerative tears like this one, guidelines put supervised physical therapy first: several months of strengthening usually settles the pain, and surgery is reserved for knees that stay locked or fail to improve.

📅Worth Monitoring

Early cartilage softening behind the kneecap(Grade 2 chondromalacia patellae)

What was found

The cartilage on the underside of the kneecap shows mild thinning and an uneven surface, without any area where the cartilage is worn down to the bone.

What this means

This is early softening of the smooth coating that lets the kneecap glide over the thigh bone. It typically causes a dull ache at the front of the knee that is worse on stairs or after sitting for a long time. At this grade the cartilage is thinner but still covering the bone.

Patellofemoral cartilage changes appear on knee MRI in a large minority of adults over 40, frequently alongside other degenerative findings.

What to do

No procedure is needed for this on its own. Quadriceps and hip strengthening is the standard first step, and your clinician can fold it into the same physical therapy plan as the meniscus finding.

✓ 1 Normal Finding
✓No urgent findings

Small amount of fluid in the joint(Small joint effusion)

What was found

A small volume of fluid sits in the normal recess above the kneecap. The fluid is uniform, and there is no sign of thickened or inflamed joint lining.

What this means

A knee that is irritated makes a little extra lubricating fluid — this is the joint reacting to the findings above, not a separate problem. A small, clear effusion of this kind is a routine companion of meniscus and cartilage changes.

Small effusions are seen on a substantial share of knee MRIs performed for pain and are frequently present in knees without any symptoms.

What to do

No specific treatment is needed. Tell your doctor if the knee becomes hot, red, rapidly swollen or painful with fever, since those signs point to a different problem.

What this scan does not show
  • A torn ACL

    The anterior cruciate ligament is intact and shows normal tension and signal throughout its course.

  • A broken bone or stress fracture

    No fracture line and no bone bruising are present in the thigh bone, shin bone or kneecap.

  • A tear on the outer side of the knee

    The lateral meniscus is normal in shape and signal, with no tear reaching its surface.

  • Bone-on-bone arthritis

    No full-thickness cartilage loss and no area of exposed bone are described in any compartment of the knee.

Based only on what this exam type can assess in the imaged region.

Impression in Plain English

This is a knee with ordinary wear-and-tear changes: a small degenerative tear at the back of the inner cushion, early softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap, and a little reactive fluid. The ligaments and bones are intact. Taken together, this is a knee that usually responds to rehabilitation rather than one that needs an urgent procedure — but the plan should be set by the clinician who can examine you.

Next Steps

📅
Book a routine (not urgent) appointment with your primary care doctor or an orthopaedic clinician to go through this report and start a physical therapy plan.
Within the next 2 to 4 weeks.

Start with your primary care physician or an orthopaedic clinic; many plans require a referral before physical therapy, so ask about that on the first call.

Book a routine GP appointment; the GP can refer you to NHS physiotherapy, and some areas allow you to self-refer to physiotherapy directly.

Book a routine appointment with your general practitioner or a traumatologist, following the referral rules of your national health system.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

"My report describes an oblique tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus — does its position make it repairable, or is it the degenerative type that is usually treated without surgery?"
"Given these findings, how many weeks of physical therapy should I complete before we judge whether it is working?"
"Which activities should I avoid for now, and are deep squats, kneeling or running safe for this knee?"
"Does the cartilage softening behind my kneecap change the exercises I should be doing?"
"What symptoms would mean I should come back sooner — for example if the knee locks and will not straighten?"
"Do the MRI findings match what you find when you examine my knee, or is something in my exam pointing elsewhere?"

Glossary

MeniscusA C-shaped pad of tough cartilage that sits between the thigh bone and shin bone. Each knee has two, and they spread load and cushion the joint.
Posterior hornThe rear third of a meniscus. It is the part most often torn, because it carries the most load when the knee bends.
Oblique tearA tear running at an angle through the meniscus rather than straight along or across it.
Joint effusionExtra fluid inside a joint. A small effusion usually means the joint is irritated, not infected.
Chondromalacia patellaeSoftening and thinning of the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap. It is graded 1 to 4, with grade 4 meaning the bone underneath is exposed.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)One of the two ligaments crossing inside the knee. It keeps the shin bone from sliding forward under the thigh bone.
DegenerativeCaused by gradual wear over time rather than by a single injury. Degenerative tears are common and often manageable without surgery.
SignalThe brightness of a tissue on an MRI image. Radiologists read changes in signal as changes in the tissue — for example, fluid inside a tear appears bright.
⚕️ Important Notice

This summary was created by AI for educational purposes only. It does NOT replace your doctor's diagnosis or medical advice, does NOT constitute a medical opinion or doctor-patient relationship, was NOT reviewed by a physician, and may contain errors. Your official radiology report by a board-certified radiologist is definitive. Emergency: 911 (US) · 999 (UK) · 112 (EU)

Want to understand your own report?

Upload your scan and get a clear, plain-language explanation — powered by AI.