MRT Roles and
Orthopedic Surgery
Patients encounter many different types of healthcare professionals on their journeys. It can be difficult to keep track of all the people involved in your care. Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs) are highly educated professionals involved in the care of millions of Canadians each year through medical imaging and radiation therapy.
If you have had, or are going to have, an orthopedic surgery, MRTs will be a vital partner in your care journey. We want to show you all the different times and ways you interact with a MRT.
Getting a Diagnosis
Perhaps you have ongoing pain in a joint or have an injury that requires immediate attention. Regardless of the cause, once you arrive at the hospital or the clinic, your care will likely begin with some imaging, and your initial x-rays will be done by an MRT. They will take various x-rays of the area that is bothering you to see if there is arthritis present, a break in the bone, infection in the bone, or something else that may be going on. These initial images often lead to a diagnosis that may require further investigation.
Learning More Information
Based on these initial x-rays taken by your MRT, you may be referred to a specialist. Often, based on what is seen on the initial x-rays, additional images will be ordered to examine the area of interest in more detail. You may have more x-rays done by a MRT focusing on a specific area. You may have a CT scan performed by a MRT which will take detailed 3D images of the bone or joint that will help in the planning of your surgery. You may also have an MRI scan, performed by a MRT, that assess the muscles, ligaments, tendons and soft tissue around the area of interest.
Preparing for your Surgery
If you find out you need to have a joint replaced, sometimes the wait for a surgery date can be long. In the meantime, your physician may order a steroid injection into the joint to relieve the pain you are experiencing. If that happens, an MRT will be there taking the fluoroscopic images (live and continuous x rays) so that a physician can deliver the medication with precision.
When you require surgery to either replace the arthritic joint or fix a bone as the result of an injury, an MRT will be in the operating room with you. They will create fluoroscopic images to see the alignment of the bone before the surgery starts, to show the surgeon where to make the first incision, and help measure the correct size of the plates, screws and any hardware they need to use. Your MRT works closely with your surgeon to show them everything they need to see to give you the best outcome possible.
Recovering from your Surgery
Once your surgery over, a MRT may do post operative x-rays in the recovery room, to show the results of the surgery in a single image for the surgeon to see. Because you are still waking up, you may not even remember that they were there.
Examples of MRT Care
© 2023 Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT)