Contrast enhancement is the brightening of a tissue or lesion on imaging after contrast is given, which tells doctors that area is receiving blood flow.
Enhancement is a finding seen on a scan, not something a patient feels. The symptom belongs to the underlying condition the scan is investigating.
Enhancement patterns help separate active inflammation, infection, tumour, and abscess from old, scar, or non-vascular changes.
CT and MRI both use enhancement to characterise lesions — different enhancement patterns (rim, homogeneous, ring, nodular) suggest different diagnoses.
The next step depends entirely on the enhancing lesion's location and pattern, combined with the clinical history.
This entry explains the word. If it appeared on your report, the next step is getting that report interpreted for your case.