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Thanks again for your understanding. We hope to help you answer your medical questions. Please let me know if there's any way that I can help you. I am a real person and actually reply to messages.

My first thoughts are these,

If you are questioning whether you should continue using the spinal surgeon that your wife has used in the past, that says to me that you have some doubts about this surgeon and should get second opinion before your wife has further surgery.

It is always an excellent idea to obtain more than one opinion before having any spinal surgery and since this sounds like it might be a bit more complicated this time, I would go for a second opinion first.

Also, he fact that the present doctor did an MRI for testing has me wondering how well the results can be obtained. Hardware for a fusion will interfere with the pics from an MRI, showing blurry pictures. Usually a CT is done if there is hardware in the spine from a fusion.

As for where to go, anyone at the spine center at John Hopkins would be an excellent choice for a second opinion.

If you decide to have a second opinion done, be sure to bring the following with you for that second opinion.

1. all x-ray, MRI and CT scans that where done prior to all of your wife's surgeries,

2. All post op films, MRI, CT scans done since all surgeries, including the most recent.

3. All operative notes from all surgeries

4. all post op notes and follow ups after surgeries

5. most recent notes and info from the present doctor and the injury that your wife has had since the fusion.

Good luck

Fran

Thanks for the suggestions... I believe it was a CT Scan also...