Routine postoperative radiographs after tibia plateau fixation have minimal impact on patient care

Common practice in orthopedic surgery is to obtain postoperative radiographs to evaluate for healing or complications. Images obtained in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) have not been shown to positively impact patient care. This study plans to evaluate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of PACU postoperative radiographs following tibial plateau open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).

Data from 211 patients who underwent a tibial plateau ORIF over a 5-year period at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed to determine if a patient received a postoperative radiograph in the PACU. Radiograph and clinical notes were reviewed to determine if postoperative radiograph resulted in management changes. Radiograph charges were calculated using CPT codes.

A total of 142 of 211 patients (67.3%) who underwent tibial plateau ORIF received a postoperative radiograph while in the PACU. The majority of the radiographs had normal findings (88.7%). Of the 142 patients with postoperative imaging, subsequent management changes occurred for only one patient (0.7%). In this case, an incidental foot fracture was found which resulted in further CT imaging to assess the fracture. Other abnormal radiograph readings (11.3%) were generally due to incidental, chronic findings that did not require management changes. The average postoperative radiograph cost was $433.55 per patient, totaling $91,480 for 142 patients over a 5-year period.

Routine postoperative radiographs following tibial plateau ORIF resulted in minimal management change patients in this series. The substantial cost of postoperative radiographs yielding little clinical utility suggests the use of routine PACU imaging following tibial plateau ORIF should be discontinued. Imaging would only be indicated in situations where intraoperative complications are suspected, thus reducing unnecessary imaging and patient cost.