I’d certainly expect them to maintain a digital archive of all the films that have ever been taken. It sounds as though a report done from the originals is available. Looking for a hair-line fracture on a paper print out is never going to work - and even if the quality was much better than you suggest there is a great deal of image manipulation available on modern digital viewing systems to bring out subtle features.
Glad you got your answer though.
Pleased to hear it - but, as I said, generally a trained radiologist will spot much more in a radiograph than a non-radiologist.
Sounds reasonable… but, as always, depends on the individual and level of training and expertise.
My Doc loves to tell the tale of how he spotted something on a patient’s x-ray and was mentioning it to the trainee Doctor he had “under his wing” … when the lad piped up and said something along the lines of… “Oh, well spotted… I’ll tell my Dad off when I get home…” turned out his Dad was the radiologist concerned…
The accident occurred in the UK and I had a CD given to me of the scans taken. However the attitude of the nurse and the consultant in the hospital in the UK was to say the least hostile and the suggestion was that I had had the accident in France, that there were no hospitals locally and I had come to the UK to receive free treatment. I’m afraid I did inform them that there were excellent hospitals and medical practices in France and that the hospitals did not have cases of MRSA either. I was not surprised when they refused to give me xrays and I had to fight to get the CD - which was corrupted and only parts of it would work.
When I returned here I was given a thorough check, an osteoporosis check and a corset to wear (which was costly but ineffective) the kine saw the parts that would show on the CD and said go home and wear the corset for the rest of your life or be very careful - I had a fall 4 weeks ago and landed on my bum and aggravated the spine. It is just an annoyance as it is painful. Worse things have happened to others I just need to know the way to progress.
Ah, sorry to hear that - yes it is a bit different in the NHS as it is extra hassle to give the images out on a CD and x-ray departments tend to be busy places. But (assuming that you are entitled to NHS treatment) you are entitled to a copy since you have the right to access your health records. Most hospitals have a formal route to this though rather than you being able to ask for a CD of the images at the time they are done.
Normally though, if they are done privately, you would expect to take the pictures away with you - and this is essentially the position in France - you’re paying for them so why would you not expect the images in a form which can actually be used?
If you have had an fracture in an osteoporotic spine from relatively minor trauma, have you been offered a bisphosphonate?
I’m with David on this one - are you sure that there isn’t a mention of access to the digital files? Sometimes they are emailed, but in our area you and your GP get a code so can look at them from the lab’s website. When you leave the lab you get a summary sheet of the findings, and a contact sheet of the main scans. Sometimes I’ve also had a CD too, which is useful.
Legally hospitals have to keep an electronic copy in case of challenge, so they exist.
