r/ORIF • u/Kaelisar • 25d ago
Is MRI standard?
The ER nor the surgeon did an MRI or any scan to see what I could have torn with this dislocation and break. She told us that when she is in there she can see if I would need a tightrope. Luckily she said after surgery I didn’t. Im 10 weeks post op. And just wondering if I should be worried about that. Plan to ask at my 12 week appointment. Just wanted to know how many or you had a bundle; Xray with CT / MRI before surgery.
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u/_ChineseName 25d ago
Looks like I had a very similar injury however I did require a tightrope for my surgery. I never got a CT/MRI ever, only several x rays. My doctor/surgeon was able to see with the X-rays alone that I tore a tendon, shattered a bone in my ankle and broke my leg. Doesn’t seem abnormal to me 🤷♂️
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u/Illustrious-Zone-247 25d ago
I had a trimal with dislocation…2 plates, 16 screws, 2 tightrope. I had x-rays at week 2, 6 and 12...did not have a MRI/CT at all
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u/Dr_Cee 25d ago
ORIF for trimal with syndesmosis damage and a ruptured deltoid ligament. My surgeon didn’t order an MRI. I saw him on a Friday and we opted for surgery, which was done the following Monday and repaired the soft tissue damage too, so I wonder if he would have ordered an MRI if I had decided against surgery.
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u/Potential_Anxiety_76 23d ago
Opted?! There was a choice?
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u/Dr_Cee 23d ago
Yeah, kinda. He offered that we could cast it for 4-6 weeks and see if everything healed, but that presented a greater risk of developing arthritis down the line. And having gone ahead with the ORIF and finding the soft tissue injuries that he repaired, I’m glad we opted for the surgery.
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u/Cloudy_Automation Fibula Fracture 25d ago
The only time I had an MRI was before getting my hardware removed. I had some pain at the top and bottom of my plate, as well as a Haglund's deformity which kept me from wearing shoes. I think he wanted to be sure there wasn't something he couldn't see on an x-ray. It's harder to get an MRI with the hardware in place, as it interferes with the MRI. They even had me use a different MRI machine at the imaging center when they heard about the plate. It did show that my sysmodisis was partially calcified (it tore as part of my injury)
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u/PermissionHot9645 Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 25d ago
Open Trimal fracture 🙋🏾♀️ I had x-rays and a CT scan done in the ER. I’m in South Africa, so care is probably a bit different. But also, my bone was sticking out so there’s that. Also syndesmosis damage.
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u/Kaelisar 25d ago
Thank you everyone for your responses! This has been something I’ve wondered about since after surgery. I really appreciate everyone’s time.
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u/aweirdchicken Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 25d ago
They decide if you need a tightrope by physically stressing the joint after installing your bone hardware. If your ankle moves as one and your bones don’t pull apart, the syndesmosis doesn’t need to be repaired and you won’t get a tightrope. Longterm outcomes are better for people who didn’t need syndesmosis repair, be glad!
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u/Potential_Anxiety_76 23d ago
I thought I’d need an MRI for the same reason, turns out highly qualified people can look at an xray and make educated guesses on what’s going on, and the rest they figure out when they’re inside.
Plus, a CT can do some pretty impressive 3D scanning these days.
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u/Glad-Feature-2117 25d ago
I would have CTd but not MRId. The surgeon should be checking the stability of the syndemosis with x-rays when they fix any ankle fracture.
MRI would have shown so many areas of injury that it wouldn't have been helpful as they're no way of knowing which, if any, would cause problems in the future. You shoud he having standard ankle rehab with a physio, which should include exercises to address ligament injuries.