title: Incidental findings and the need for a revised informed consent process.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current clinical practice with regard to incidental findings (IFs) is suboptimal in the domains of informed consent and patient education. We argue that a more robust informed consent process is needed to enable patients to anticipate incidentalomas and to correctly perceive the associated risks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given that IFs are very common in high-resolution imaging, patients should be provided information about the possibility of an IF as part of radiologic informed consent. The frequency of IFs, the very high rates of false-positives among incidentalomas, the very low rates of malignancies among incidentalomas, and the potential financial and emotional costs to both patients and the health care system of monitoring IFs necessitate a thorough informed consent process. Further, because radiologists are the most knowledgeable professionals regarding the nature of IFs, they should be the specialists who conduct the informed consent discussion with patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Triple Board Program, Rhode Island Hospital/Bradley Hospital, Brown University, 593 Eddy St, Physicians Office Building, Ste 122, Providence, RI 02903.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kole
authors.forename: Autumn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiester
mesh_terms: D000307:Adrenal Gland Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007258:Informed Consent; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed