What does clinical correlation requested mean?

Answer 1

It usually means that something notable was found on diagnostic imaging, but it may not be meaningful for the patient. For example, the majority people over 40 have changes on spinal MRI, but these don't actually cause discomfort or disease. "Clinical correlation" means checking the history and physical to see if the notable finding has any meaning in the patient's life.

"Clinical correlation" is taking the diagnostic study, for example an x-ray, and considering it in light of the whole patient picture, including history and exam, as well as other testing, in order to come up with a diagnosis or list of possibilities.

When interpreting a biopsy, or an imaging study (xray, CT, ultrasound, or MRI, among others), sometimes a particular finding can mean different things in different clinical situations. When a lab technician or radiologist comes across a finding which may mean multiple things, they say "please correlate with clinical findings" or "clinical correlation requested" or "clinical correlation essential" to indicate that the finding may mean several things, in different circumstances. For an eg: in a biopsy it may say Acantholysis, Dyskeratosis, and Spongiosis consistent with Grovers Disease. But these three results can be found in many other skin conditions, especially bullous (blistering) conditions.

In medicine, "clinical findings" are observable signs of a particular condition or disease, along with symptoms as reported by the patient. A test, as explained above, is "correlated" or "compared to" or "compared with" the observable signs and reported symptoms before a final diagnosis is made. Clinical findings can be made any time a physician examines and interviews a patient; most often, this occurs in a doctor's office or while a patient is in the hospital.

It means that the tests must be correlated (compared with) the observable signs and reported symptoms before a final diagnosis is made.
clinical correlation is suggested
When interpreting an imaging study (xray, CT, ultrasound, or MRI, among others), sometimes a particular finding can mean different things in different clinical situations. When a radiologist comes across a finding which may mean multiple things, a radiologist says "please correlate with clinical findings" or "clinical correlation requested" to indicate the finding may mean several things in different circumstances.

For example, on a chest Xray there may be some opacities in a lung field. That, combined with the clinical information that the patient has a high fever, with yellow sputum, high white blood cell count, and is a young woman without other medical problems--then the leading suspicion is that it is an infection, likely pneumonia. On the other hand, if the clinical information is that the patient has just had minor surgery, no fever, has some shallow breaths, then it's more likely that the opacities can be due to atelectasis.

Answer 2

"Clinical correlation requested" typically means that the healthcare provider is recommending further testing or investigation to see how the clinical symptoms align with the results of a diagnostic test or imaging study. It indicates the need for the healthcare provider to interpret the results in the context of the patient's overall clinical presentation to make an accurate diagnosis or treatment plan.