What does “Within normal limits” mean on a radiology report?
Measured or assessed, and the result falls inside the normal range.
Why the radiologist wrote it that way
Used where normality is a range rather than a yes-or-no — the calibre of a blood vessel, the size of an organ, the width of a duct. It says the number was checked against the expected range and sits inside it.
Is this good or bad news?
A normal result, and a slightly more precise one than "unremarkable" because it implies something was actually measured. Often abbreviated to WNL.
What it does not mean
- Borderline, or scraping by. Inside the range is inside the range.
- That the measurement is unimportant because it was normal.
Where you will see it
Words in this phrase
One phrase is not the whole report
What this sentence means for you depends on everything else your report says. Radily reads the whole thing and explains it in plain English — and can talk you through it on video, so you are not reading medical language alone.
Other phrases on your report
- No acute intracranial abnormalityThe scan found nothing new or urgent inside the skull — no bleeding, no swelling, no sign of injury needing treatment today.
- UnremarkableNormal. There was nothing worth remarking on.
- Mild degenerative changesOrdinary age-related wear in the joints or spine — the kind almost everyone develops, to some degree, as they get older.
- No acute cardiopulmonary processThe chest X-ray shows no new problem with the heart or lungs — no pneumonia, no fluid around the lungs, no collapsed lung, and a heart that looks a normal size.
This explains how a phrase is commonly used in radiology reports. It is not a diagnosis, not a reading of your scan, and not medical advice. Only your doctor can tell you what your own report means.