I had an MRI scan last year for my slipped disk, saw the surgeon last month and now on the waiting list for the op. How do I get hold of my scan? Do I get in touch with the Records Office or the Legal Department of the hospital? Has anyone managed to get hold of theirs, and if so how did you manage to view the scan?

I thought they handed you a CD after the scan these days.

A few yrs ago when I had one done they handed me a folder full of the results and told me to give it to the quack. (This was via private healthcare using a NHS scanner though).

The scan is on CD, I saw it when I had the scan done, but they said they would send it to the Docs, then it must have gone to the surgeon where I saw the scan for myself.
The Surgeon did mention about getting it from the Records Dept. but just wanted to check if anybody on here had managed to get sorted with a copy of theirs.

You mean one like this??

Rachel

allthegear Yes, just like that, how did you manage that then? The view that I saw with the surgeon was a split screen, one just like yours and also a top view, they look great, I just want my one that that.

The doc gave me the CD. The images were in a specific medical format but there was a free viewer for Mac called Osirix or something.

After showing the picture to a friend who is a pain consultant, all she said was “and you’re still walking around?” 😕

Rachel

Contact the radiology department of the hospital that scanned you and ask them. they will provide a cd if you askk or hard copy if you ask really nicely.
are you in scotland? if so, which region?

I have a cd with my previous scans on from years ago but it’s password protected 🙄 havn’t worked out the password to access it yet though.

muke – the password would have been sent out seprately to the disk. call the radiology dept and ask for password or replacement disk. again, are you in farage’s land of frightmares and if so, which region?

I had the scan done at the mobile unit at the new Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, but I saw the surgeon at The Western General. Should I call the Radiology Dept. at the Royal?

Here’s mine 🙂

I was well impressed by the software that came on the CD – you could scan through, make slices, all sorts. Good fun!

Call the Royal and ask to speak to the PACS manager or someone in their PACS team – PACS is part of Radiology. They should be able to sort you out.

Of course some hospitals charge for this…

For 14 days I don’t think they can, thereafter, up to £50. But very few radiology depts are set up for cash handling. They charge lawyers, private hospitals, etc by invoicing and can be handled separately, but as there are no tills etc in clinical departments, most will just hand over the disks.

If you get hold of the scan on CD\DVD there is a good chance there will be a DICOM reader on there. If not go to idoimaging.com and download one for free.

Thanks BBSB, I’m down the other end of the country. seeing my scans is not of any importance to me tbh it’s just having a cd and not being able to access it was frustrating. Having just checked it again it seems that it’s an encrypted EXE on the enclosed Ez-DiComCD viewer that I need a password for. Maybe I’ll check on the interweb as per uphillcursing suggestion.

I spoke to the Radiology Dept. but the lady that deals with this stuff is off today, so I left some details with another nice lady, she said there will be a small fee (no exact details), hopefully get sorted next week.
Those pics are great, I think they are amazing – seeing into your own body like that.
I will let you know how I get on and hopefully post a pic of my dodgy back.

So lucky – I had my head scanned a few years back and they wouldn’t give me a copy (this was at the Murrayfield in Edinburgh) said because there was nothing wrong (yes really) they didn’t keep it. I really really wanted the picture of the inside of my head, I think the consultant just couldn’t be bothered.

Those pics are great, I think they are amazing – seeing into your own body like that.

If you can’t wait until you can get the disc, you can get similar visual results with a really sharp axe, a friend with a steady swing, and any standard photocopier….

DrP

This was quite sore I seem to remember!

WBC Ouch. That is some bulge.

hels That reminds me, years ago I had a CT scan, wonder if I can get a copy of that… My brother had brain surgery and they took pictures at the time, he has copies of them. I have seen one, but it upset me too much, to see my brother like that, not good.

uphillcursing/muke – standard practice to create a disk image, encrypt the lot and burn it to disk. radiology department should be able to burne another disk if not provide password. if they chunder about money just say you never received password

drp – fair enough but you need to be careful not to get any gunk in the copier.

hels – regardless of whether there’s anything wrong or not, you have the right to those images. if done post 2008’ish, the images will be stored on the national pacs archive so should still be available. don’t ask a consultant, as above, call the radiology department where the images were acquired and ask for one of the pacs people.

I was thinking about this the other day. I want mine too!!
I’ve just done my first few rides after a year and a half out.

Does this thread indicate a link between mountain biking and ruined lower back?? Or is everyone at the age where bodily stuff wears out/ breaks painfully?

Who else has only ridden hard tails? I’d be interested to know..

Back on a hardtail now and no issues. My disc prolapse was rowing related, but missed a trip to the Alps that year because of it. In fact ended up in hospital on the day I was meant to be going. I guess everyone is different but aside from the surgery to fix the immediate problem and relieve most of the the pain (which felt like a miracle), I found pilates the most useful/beneficial therapy to getting back to normal activities.

Having gone through it myself, I now have genuine sympathy for people with backpain- it’s an absolute misery.

FWIW, I got my MRI results on a disc that also included the necessary software to look at the images (Syngo Fastview). At the time though I was so dosed up on various painkillers I couldn’t work out how to use it, but have just been prompted to dig out the CD and look by this thread. Don’t think it would take an expert to see the bulge!

I had an MRI scan on my lower back recently and my Physio wants the images. The Radiology department at my local hospital said I can have a CD with the images on for £10. The cost isn’t a problem, just the fact that I have to go into the hospital between the hours of 10 and 3 on a weekday to fill in a form. Not so easy when I work full-time!

I didn’t have surgery in the end. Lots of osteopathy sessions and core exercises appear to have improved it hugely.

Of course, there’s no chance of another MRI to actually check…

Rachel

vickypea – i would check that. our policy is any contact detailing the study you want is enough for us, and iirc, that was the legal requirement. the form filling may be just to dissuade you from wasting their precious time by becoming involved ion your own healthcare.
i believe (but you may want to check) that the data protection act 1998 states that all you have to do is ask in writing (email counts as writing) from the hospital records manager or patient services manager. this applies to your medical record and any hospital acquiring imaging counts as part of that record.

Thanks ‘BBSB’. I’ve already been trying for a week to find some time to get out of work to nip to the hospital. Maybe they’ll also tell me I have to wait a fortnight and then return to pick up the CD between the hours of 10 and 3…..

On the subject of backs, can anyone recommend a DVD or book of pilates or other core exercises, please? I’ve got to knuckle down and sort out my posture for the sake of my poor back!

BBSB. Your department make a cd/dvd copy of every examination?

If you’re bored with MRI images of backs, I also have an ultrasound of my bollocks.

Just sayin’

Of course, there’s no chance of another MRI to actually check…

The picture I posted above is “post-op” to check that they’d done a good job. You can see the scar tissue where they cut in, and the lack of bulging disk 🙂

This is a picture from outside the clinic – as I don’t speak much German I was afraid that there might be some confusion about what they actually did

Go on then Dr J. Give us a giggle…….

@DrJ thanks for sharing 😯

On the MRI I was given everything, printouts and cd

I got my MRI scan disk through the other day. It came free, I didn’t have to pay the £10 quoted to me. The nice man in the Legal Department sent it to me, once I had prompted him about the disc.
I managed to get it loaded up onto my Mac with the help of some free software – I also had a look on a PC at work and it gave you so much more info than the Mac did. Anyway I am struggling to find the actual images that the surgeon showed me, but I have it now and it will soon be my new FB profile image…