Surgical images

Fluoroscopy is an imaging technique which allows the surgeon to view real time images of internal structures…like watching moving x-rays on a TV.

I noticed one of these large machines in the operating room during the first surgery (I was already out of my head on Versed when they wheeled me in for the second surgery so I don’t remember anything). The doctor uses this machine to view the placement of screws and pins during surgery. Shortly after I was taken to my hospital room a nurse came in and handed my husband a pile of printouts from the fluoroscopy machine. I don’t know why they gave them to us, we didn’t get them the first time. But they were interesting to look at. In one of the images you can see the end of the drill which is being used to place the pin. Also, in many of the images you can see someone’s finger bones, evidently they are holding my foot up.

 

You can see how the heel was moved over and screws were used to keep the heel in it’s new place. Notice the finger bones of whoever is holding up my foot.

 

The image on the left is of the screws & plates in the arch. In the image on the right you can see that even though my arch is now lower, the toes are curled up so high that I would still have problems if they weren't fixed.

The left image shows the big toe corrected but notice how curved the other toes are. The right image shows the placement of the pins in the remaining toes. Note the tip of the drill showing at the top of the image. (No, I don’t have 7 toes, the last two bones are actually someone’s hand.)

The pins are all in place and ready to be cut to a shorter length.