This study comprises 76 published judgments by German and Austrian civil courts between 1966 and 1993 concerning liability in the field of radiology. There has been a marked increase in the number of legal proceedings in the 1980's and even more so in the second half of this decade. This is due to an increased tendency to sue doctors without any legal cause in the hope of possible compensation. In 40.8% of the cases the doctor was held liable and required to compensate the patient for personal injury and suffering pain. Most of the cases were related to complications during the examination procedure. The reason most frequently cited by the courts for sentencing doctors was the fact that they did not previously inform the patient adequately about the examination and its possible consequences.