NI-RADS™
Standardized lexicon and risk stratification system for interpretation of surveillance imaging in patients treated for head and neck cancer
Current Release
ACR Neck Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (NI-RADS™): A White Paper of the ACR NI-RADS Committee is available on the web and for download from JACR®.
Download PDFNeck masses, especially in the setting of previous treatment for head and neck cancer, can be very complex to interpret. NI-RADS helps the radiologist and clinical team with risk stratification of various imaging findings and help guide management decisions.
NI-RADS can be used for the following cancers when patients undergo CT/MR/PET for surveillance:
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the head/neck and aerodigestive tract (oral cavity, nasal cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx).
- Non-squamous cell cancers of the head and neck.
- Salivary gland tumors.
- Sinonasal tumors.
- Orbital tumors.
- Thyroid cancer.
CT and MRI have separate lexicon/risk assessment systems, each dedicated to the modality specific findings.
Further reading:
Putting NI-RADS to Work
Request Permission for NI-RADS
Related resources
- National Library of Medicine: Predictive Value of First Posttreatment Imaging Using Standardized Reporting in Head and Neck Cancer
- National Library of Medicine: Negative Predictive Value of NI-RADS Category 2 in the First Posttreatment FDG-PET/CT in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- JACR: Implementation of a Novel Surveillance Template for Head and Neck Cancer
- AJNR: Initial Performance of NI-RADS to Predict Residual or Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- National Library of Medicine: Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System
- Interrater Reliability of NI-RADS on Posttreatment PET/Contrast-enhanced CT Scans in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
License Information
Reporting and Data Systems (RADS) by the American College of Radiology are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by using our permission form. Contact us: rads@acr.org