So, what should a perfect case look like? Over time, the quality of contributions to Radiopaedia has grown, and what is considered a "perfect case" has also evolved. Please refer to the case publishing guidelines for a general set of instructions. You also can get a sense of how close your case is to being perfect by reviewing the case completeness percentage, although this does not consider the quality of the case itself.
Below are some points to consider when uploading a case.
On this page:
Case title
a clear and concise case title is vital and is usually the diagnosis of the case, e.g. "Hepatoma", not "Interesting patient with hepatoma"
specific points should come after a dash, e.g. “Hepatoma - with active bleeding”
modalities are not typically required in the case title
Diagnostic certainty
-
ideally, the diagnostic certainty level is “Certain”, i.e. confirmed and substantiated
where possible, histologically confirmed and/or following published diagnostic criteria
when histologically confirmed, macroscopic and microscopic images from the same patient are also uploaded
the histology report should be included in the findings of the pathology images or a free text box after the images and before the case discussion
System
each case should have at least one system
often numerous systems are appropriate and useful (e.g. vesicoureteric reflux should have both Pediatrics and Urogenital systems)
Tags
Tags relating to the following can be included:
clinical speciality, e.g. "emergency medicine", "trauma", or "general surgery")
training level, e.g. “medical student”, “fellow”
specific study types, e.g. “prostate mri”, “breast mri”, “ctca”
Presentation
one or two sentences encompassing the clinical presentation or indication for imaging should be provided, e.g. "Sudden onset headache."
ensure patient confidentiality is maintained
patient data/demographics should not be included
Patient data
age and gender should always be included
NB the age of adult patients should be rounded to the nearest 5 years to help maintain patient confidentiality
Images
good quality, well-prepared images, which are digitally exported images from a PACS
images are appropriately cropped
stacks where appropriate (i.e. CT, MRI, DSA)
no text or logo overlay on the image (see: patient confidentiality)
Modality and image labels
each study must have a modality and where appropriate a plane and sequence/contrast phase
captions are not mandatory and should only include information not included elsewhere
Findings
a short 'report-like' description of the images provided is required and should NOT be a full formal radiology report
the description should contain positive findings and only pertinent negative findings
what usually falls into the conclusion/comment/impression of a radiology report can, if relevant, be included in the case discussion
Annotations
annotations should highlight key image features and link them to the findings text
ensure labels are concise and informative, even when the findings text is not displayed
avoid long labels that might be truncated
Case discussion
-
this should be a short paragraph or two but most importantly (and different from journal-style case reports), the case discussion should focus on this particular patient and not the condition in general
comment on how the diagnosis was made and the management of the patient
if relevant include a differential for this case (not a generic list)
a list of "Key learning points" is also useful
add text links to Radiopaedia articles in the discussion to improve context and provide immediate references (this helps readers navigate relevant information more easily and enhances case clarity)
Of course, not all cases can hope to reach such lofty heights, but at least you now know what the perfect case would be like, and in most cases can tick off most boxes.
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.