General information to help you prepare for a conversation with your clinician.
You remember having the first MRI. You remember where you parked. So why does the new report say there was no prior scan to compare?
The comparison section tells you which earlier exams the radiologist used when reading this one. An earlier MRI might be sitting at another hospital. That line alone can’t tell you whether the finding in your knee appeared this year or was there last year.
Start with the date and the side
Look for a date beside “comparison” or “prior studies.” If it lists a right knee X-ray and you remember a right knee MRI, write down both. That gives the office a much easier question to answer than “Did you get my records?”
Try this when you call the imaging center: “My report lists the June X-ray. I also had a right knee MRI last October at another center. Can you see those images?” If they can’t, ask where the first center should send them and who will confirm they arrived.
Tell the clinician what you want to learn
Maybe your question is whether a finding was visible before your pain changed. Say that at your appointment. Ask whether looking at the two studies together could change the recommendation and who will get back to you if the older images arrive afterward. Your clinician can tell you whether to keep the appointment as scheduled.