Geographic appearance

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 19 Jun 2020

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Bell D, Hartung M, Geographic appearance. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 19 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-60972

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-60972

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/60972

rID:

60972

Article created:

11 Jun 2018, Daniel J Bell ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Daniel J Bell had no recorded disclosures.

View Daniel J Bell's current disclosures

Last revised:

19 Jun 2020, Daniel J Bell ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Daniel J Bell had no recorded disclosures.

View Daniel J Bell's current disclosures

Revisions:

4 times, by 2 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Hepatobiliary, Musculoskeletal

Sections:

Approach

Tags:

reference needed

Synonyms:

Geographic lesion
Geographic focus
Geographic region
Geographic area

Geographic appearance is a term used in imaging, and other clinical fields (e.g. histopathology) to describe lesions with a well-circumscribed margins with adjacent tissues. The term derives from the somewhat similar appearance of the outline of countries on a map or the clear demarcation formed by the coastline against the sea ¹.

The usage is most commonly found in the reporting of bone lesions, especially eosinophilic granuloma e.g. skull. It can also be used to describe variations in hepatic fat deposition ².

In describing bone lesions, the boundary need not be sclerotic.