Second opinion
Advised surgery? Asking someone else is always reasonable.
A second opinion either confirms the plan — so you can go ahead with confidence instead of doubt — or it does not, which is precisely what you needed to know. Neither outcome is a waste of an appointment.
Two ways to do it
- Video consultationSend your imaging and reports first. Suits patients travelling from outside Surat.
- In personIncluding a full examination, which is often more informative than the scan.
When it is worth asking
Six situations where a second opinion earns its fee
Not because the first surgeon was wrong. Because these are the specific decisions where reasonable surgeons genuinely differ.
You have been told surgery is the only option
For most knee, shoulder and hip problems it is one option among several. If no alternative was discussed, that is worth checking.
Nobody explained what happens if you do nothing
This is the single most useful question in medicine, and if it was not answered, the conversation was incomplete.
You are under 60 and were offered a joint replacement
Where wear is confined to one compartment, an osteotomy may let you keep your own knee for a decade or more. It is offered far less often than it should be.
You were offered an arthroscopy for an arthritic knee
Large trials have shown this does not help knees with arthritis and no mechanical locking. It is still frequently performed.
The recommendation came from the scan, not an examination
Scans of people with no symptoms frequently show tears. Treating the report rather than the patient is a common route to an unnecessary operation.
You simply do not feel ready
That is reason enough. Unless the joint is locked or acutely injured, almost no orthopaedic operation is urgent.
How it works
Four steps, usually within a week
- 1
Send what you have
Message the WhatsApp number with your MRI or CT images, the radiology report, any X-rays, and a note of what you have been told. Photographs of films are fine if you cannot send the files.
- 2
A slot is confirmed
You will be offered an in-person or video appointment, with the fee confirmed before you book. If anything important is missing from what you sent, you will be told what to bring.
- 3
The consultation
Your imaging goes on the screen and the actual problem is pointed out to you. In person, this includes a full examination. You will be asked what you want to be able to do — because that, more than the scan, determines the right treatment.
- 4
A written plan
You leave with a clear answer: whether surgery is indicated, what the alternatives are, what happens if you do nothing, and the realistic result at three months and at a year. In writing, so you can think about it.
What to send
- MRI or CT — the images themselves, not only the report
- The written radiology report
- Any X-rays, including older ones
- The name of the operation you have been offered
- A list of your current medicines
- Operation notes, if you have had previous surgery on the joint
- A short note on what you want to get back to
Who is giving the opinion
Dr. Dipen Ariwala, MBBS, MS (Ortho), DNB, MNAMS, MRCS — MS (Ortho) from KEM Hospital, Mumbai, with four subspecialty fellowships in arthroscopy, joint preservation and joint replacement. Assistant Professor, and a published author in peer-reviewed journals.
Read the full profileTo be clear
Sometimes the second opinion is that you should have the operation.
This is not a service for talking people out of surgery. Most of the operations described on this site are genuinely good treatment for the right patient, and a meaningful number of second opinions end with a recommendation to go ahead — occasionally sooner than was planned, because waiting has a real cost in some conditions.
What you are paying for is an independent assessment and a straight answer, whichever direction it points.
Questions patients ask
Send your scans. Get an independent answer.
WhatsApp is the quickest route — send your imaging and reports and a consultation will be arranged, in person or by video.