Table 4.

Common representative information and examples on postoperative imaging report that would be useful for orthopaedic surgeons.

	Plain Radiographs (X-rays)	Ultrasound (USS)	CT	MRI
Views	•Is the skeletal Imaging undertaken adequate?	Dynamic evaluation	High resolution axial, coronal, Sagittal, 2 mm slices	e.g. check for early AVN in hip fractures
Fracture Union	•Confirm if a particular fracture has united or not radiologically •Sclerosis of bone ends and obliteration of canal	Use to detect soft cartilaginous callus early in course of bone healing Bone union	-Evidence of union and degree of union e.g. Delayed union -Pointers which images show this.	To check for early union to enable removal of metal work if required
Infection	•Metal work associated infection- e.g. lysis around implants suggestive of Infection	•To check for soft tissue post-operative collection. e.g. abscess/seroma •Morel-Lavallée lesion - closed degloving soft tissue injury	Bone involvement and severity	Soft tissue and bone involvement, suggestion whether this is oedema or infection. Structures involved; planes/compartments breached
Metal work problems	•Confirm osseous union or suggest additional investigations to clarify in operated patients with metal implants in situ	Check for tendon injuries or early attrition, e.g. long dorsal screw in the distal radius following volar plate fixation	Metal supressed images essential. Need same info as x- ray section	-Pseudo aneurysms following Metal on Metal hip replacements - MARS imaging

Abbreviations: CT= Computerised Tomography; MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imaging; AVN = Avascular Necrosis; SCIWORA= Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality; MARS = metal artefact reduction sequence.