What “incidental” means
An incidental finding is something the radiologist sees that was not the reason for the scan. On abdominal MRI that might be a liver cyst or a kidney cyst. On a spine MRI it is often disc wear in someone whose pain comes from somewhere else.
Most are not urgent
Many incidental findings are benign and need no treatment. Some need a watch-and-wait scan later. A small number need a different test, such as a dedicated ultrasound, a CT, or a blood test, before anyone can say what they are.
Why preventive scans create more of them
A total body scan looks at organs you have no symptom in. The chance of finding something that needs a follow-up test is real, and so is the chance of a false alarm. Ask the clinic, before you book, how they report incidental findings and who explains them to you.
A finding on a screening scan is not a diagnosis. It is a reason to speak to a doctor who can match the picture to your history.