Translation of CT, MRI and other diagnostic test reports
A radiology report is a dialogue between two people: the Georgian radiologist describes, the foreign surgeon plans. The translation is the only bridge between them, and one wrong anatomical term or a swapped side changes the surgical plan. We translate CT, MRI, ultrasound, endoscopy, ECG and echocardiography, and histology reports into the language in which radiologists of the target country write their own.
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Radiology vocabularyTerms of the target country's radiological society
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Stages unchangedTNM, BI-RADS, Gleason and other codes exactly as in the original
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1-2 working daysFor a report; histology takes one day more
In short: diagnostic report translation in six points
- The text of the report is translated, while CT, MRI and other images in DICOM format are sent to the clinic without translation.
- Measurements, units, segments and spinal levels are carried over into the translation as figures, unchanged.
- TNM, BI-RADS and other international classifications stay as codes; only their verbal explanation is translated.
- Anatomical and radiological terms are written in the standard vocabulary of the target country's radiologists, not as an everyday description.
- The comparison with the previous study is translated in full, because it is what shows how the disease is progressing.
- A report translation is usually ready in one or two working days; a histology report takes one day more.
Where the meaning of a report gets lost in translation
A radiology text is descriptive and precise: every word records a location, a size or a character. Here a synonym is a new diagnosis.
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Side and level
"Right", "left", "bilateral", "L4-L5", "segment S7": these are the places where the surgeon cuts. A swapped side is the most dangerous error in a translation, and that is exactly why two people check it independently.
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Describing character
"Hypodense", "hyperintense on T2", "heterogeneous", "well-defined", "contrast-enhancing": radiology vocabulary with a fixed equivalent in every language. A descriptive translation ("a dark spot") is useless to a doctor.
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Measurements and units
Millimetres and centimetres, three dimensions in the right order, volume, Hounsfield units, ADC values. We leave the numbers unchanged and compare every one with the original, because a change in size changes the assessment of progression.
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Wording of the conclusion
"Probably", "cannot be excluded", "consistent with", "differential diagnosis required": these phrases express the radiologist's degree of certainty, and strengthening or softening them in translation gives the doctor a different picture.
Which reports, and what is particular about each
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CT and MRI
Protocol (with or without contrast, sequences), description organ by organ, measurements, comparison with the previous study and a conclusion with classification. We keep the structure so that the radiologist can quickly compare it with their own reading.
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Ultrasound and echocardiography
Measurement tables, fractions, flow velocities, gradients. The density of figures is high and units are critical, so we translate these reports as tables if the original is set out that way.
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Endoscopy and colonoscopy
Location in centimetres, description of the mucosa, biopsy sites, classifications (Paris, Forrest, Los Angeles). Biopsy numbers stay unchanged so that they match the histology.
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Histology and cytology
Macroscopic and microscopic description, immunohistochemistry panel, differentiation, margins, final diagnosis. The densest text of all, handled by an editor with a medical education.
The price depends on the length of the report and usually falls within one to three pages; images are not charged. The indicative price per page is on the main medical translation page.
Terminology examples: a Georgian report in a foreign radiologist's language
A radiology term is tied to the modality: CT describes density, MRI signal intensity, ultrasound echogenicity. Below are a few typical phrases and the form in which an English-speaking or German-speaking radiologist would write them.
| Georgian report | English | German | Note |
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| ჰიპოდენსური კერა ღვიძლში | hypodense hepatic lesion | hypodense Leberläsion | This is a CT term; an MRI report would say "hypointense" in the same place. |
| ჰიპოექოგენური წარმონაქმნი | hypoechoic lesion | echoarme Läsion | The word for "lesion" is translated neutrally, so that the translation draws no conclusion about its nature. |
| დიფუზიის შეზღუდვა | restricted diffusion | Diffusionsrestriktion | An MRI sign; the ADC value, if given, is carried over with its units. |
| ლიმფური კვანძი, მოკლე ღერძი 8 მმ | lymph node, short axis 8 mm | Lymphknoten, Kurzachse 8 mm | Mixing up the short and long axis changes the assessment of the node. |
| დისკის პროტრუზია L4-L5 დონეზე | disc protrusion at L4-L5 | Bandscheibenprotrusion L4/5 | The way the level is written varies by country; the numbers never do. |
| კონტრასტის დაგროვება | contrast enhancement | Kontrastmittelanreicherung | "No enhancement" is just as important a finding and is translated exactly. |
The same principle applies to Turkish, Italian or Russian translations: we write a term in the form established in the target country's radiology reports, not as a literal calque of the English version. If the Georgian radiologist included an English or Russian term in the text, we check it separately, because sometimes it is more precise than the Georgian wording and sometimes it is a leftover from an older classification.
Stage, comparison, response to treatment: what an oncologist looks for in the translation
A foreign doctor reads an oncology patient's report with one question in mind: what has changed and what stage the disease is at. That is why we check these passages separately, line by line, after translation.
- TNM prefixes. The letters c, p, y and r (clinical, pathological, after neoadjuvant therapy, recurrence) are part of the stage: "ypT2" and "pT2" mean different things, and not a single letter is lost in the translation.
- Response to treatment. If the report uses RECIST or other criteria, the categories (complete response, partial response, stable disease, progression) are written in the established terms, not as a free description.
- Comparison with the previous study. The date, modality and measurements of the previous study are carried over unchanged, so that the foreign radiologist can verify the progression independently.
- New and known lesions. This distinction often decides whether progression is diagnosed, so it is checked separately in the translation.
- Measurement method. If the radiologist measures a lesion along one axis in one study and along three in another, the translation reflects both exactly, so that the doctor does not mistake a change of method for a change in size.
Images in DICOM format, on a disc or via a link, are delivered to the clinic without translation. We make sure the translated report is linked to the right study: the study date, the facility and, if it appears in the report, the study number are written exactly as in the original, so that the clinic opens the right series. You can calculate an indicative price by the number and length of reports with the translation price calculator.
Frequently asked questions about diagnostic report translation
Should I send you the disc or the images, or just the report?
For the translation we need only the text of the report: images have no language, and a foreign radiologist reads them directly. The clinic, however, needs both: the translated report to understand what the Georgian radiologist saw, and the DICOM files for its own assessment. So the disc or the link to the images goes straight to the clinic, and we translate the report. If sending the images is difficult for you, our medical tourism team arranges secure file transfer.
How are stages and classifications such as TNM or BI-RADS translated?
International classifications stay unchanged: TNM, BI-RADS, Bosniak, LI-RADS, PI-RADS, Gleason, Fuhrman and similar codes and scores are written the same way in every language, and changing them would change the stage. We translate only the verbal explanation that accompanies the code and check that the code and the explanation match: if there is a discrepancy in the Georgian report, we flag it in a note so that the clinic can clarify it with the issuing doctor, rather than correcting it ourselves.
How does translating a histology report differ from other reports?
Histology is the densest text in medical translation: morphological description, an immunohistochemistry marker panel with percentages and intensity, grade of differentiation, margin status. Here every term is part of the diagnosis and there are no synonyms. These reports are handled by an editor with a medical education, marker names (ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67 and others) stay unchanged, and we allow one day more than usual so that there is time for the check.
Who checks that the anatomical terminology is correct?
The translation is done by a translator specialising in radiology and pathology texts, and the check by a second specialist with a medical education, who compares the report with the original: location, side (right, left), measurements with units, segments and levels, the wording of the conclusion. The terminology follows international anatomical nomenclature and the standard lexicons of the target country's radiological society, not a general medical dictionary. The check is included in the price and is not paid for separately.
The report mentions a previous study that I have not had translated. Should I translate that too?
That depends on what you need it for. If the new report describes growth, shrinkage or stability compared with the previous one, that comparison is what interests the foreign doctor, and it can be read in the new report itself. You need a full translation of the previous study when the clinic is assessing response to treatment, for example after chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or when the previous report contains details that are not repeated in the new one. During the assessment we will look at both reports and tell you whether the second one really needs translating, so that you do not pay for more than necessary.
What happens if my name on the disc is spelled differently from my passport?
This is common: in a diagnostic centre's system the operator types the patient's name in Latin letters, and it does not always match the passport. In the translated report we write the name as in the passport, and if you tell us how it appears on the images, we add a short note to the translation stating that both records belong to the same patient. This helps the clinic link the DICOM files to the report. We do not change data in the images, because that is the diagnostic centre's responsibility.
What goes with the reports
- Laboratory test results translation Laboratory data that complete the radiological picture.
- Form 100 translation The official certificate that brings the reports together into one package.
- Second opinion from a foreign radiologist We send the translated report and the DICOM files to the clinic together.
Have the report to hand? Upload the text; the disc is not needed
During working hours we will give you the price and timing within an hour. For histology, allow one extra day in advance.