Written Second Opinion
Another pair of eyes on your MRI.
From someone who sees cases like yours every week.
A named senior spine or orthopedic specialist in China reviews your actual scans and history, and sends you a written opinion in English within 48 hours. No flights, no commitment — just a clear answer to hold against the one you already have.
Not sure your case fits? The case assessment is free — we'll tell you honestly whether a second opinion is worth your money before you spend it.
The Deliverable
What lands in your inbox.
Diagnosis, confirmed or questioned
The specialist reviews your actual imaging — not a summary of it — and states whether your working diagnosis matches what the scans show, in plain English.
Surgery: necessary, optional, or avoidable
A direct verdict on whether surgery is indicated for your case — including the conservative options worth trying first, and what "watch and wait" would realistically look like.
If surgery: which approach, and why
Where an operation is warranted, the report names the procedure they would choose for your anatomy and case history — and the reasoning, so you can interrogate it.
Questions to take back to your own doctor
Every report closes with the specific questions worth asking your NHS or private consultant — designed to make your next local appointment sharper, whichever path you choose.
Who Reviews Your Case
Matched, not assigned.
We don't have "a doctor" who reads everything. Each case goes to the specialist whose sub-specialty and case volume fit your specific condition — a revision fusion goes to someone who does revision fusions weekly, not a generalist.
You receive the specialist's name, title, and hospital affiliation with your report, and our matching reasoning in writing — including who else we considered and why they weren't the fit.
HanBridge is a coordinator, not a clinic. The opinion is the specialist's own; we simply make sure it reaches you clearly, completely, and in English.
Sub-specialty fit first
Spine deformity, minimally invasive lumbar, joint revision — matching starts from your exact diagnosis, not whoever is available.
Volume as a proxy for judgment
We weight toward senior physicians (Chief / Associate Chief level) at Grade-A tertiary hospitals whose weekly case load keeps their pattern recognition sharp.
Everything in writing
Name, credentials, reasoning, and the report itself — documented so you can verify it, share it, or challenge it with your home team.
The Process
From upload to answer.
Submit through the free case assessment. Upload your MRI or CT (DICOM files or clear photos) and a five-minute history questionnaire. We confirm your case is suitable for a remote opinion before any payment.
We organise and translate. Your records are structured into the format specialists work fastest with — imaging indexed, history summarised, nothing lost in translation. The reviewing specialist sees the originals, unedited.
The written opinion arrives. A structured English report covering diagnosis, surgical necessity, options, and reasoning — signed by the named specialist. Complex case? You can request a second independent review.
Yours to use however serves you. Take it to your NHS consultant, sit on it, or — if treatment abroad now makes sense — upgrade to a video consultation with the same specialist. No follow-up pressure from us either way.
What We Need From You
Three things. Probably already on your phone.
Your imaging
MRI or CT from the last 12 months — DICOM files ideal, clear photos of the disc or screen acceptable. Older scans? Ask us first, free.
Existing reports
Any radiology reports, clinic letters, or discharge summaries you already have. Don't request new ones from your GP just for this.
Five minutes of history
Our questionnaire covers symptoms, duration, what's been tried, and what decision you're actually facing. Short answers are fine.
Worth Saying Plainly
What a remote opinion can't do.
- It can't examine you. Strength, reflexes, and nerve tension signs need hands. The report states clearly where an in-person exam could change the picture.
- It's not emergency care. New leg weakness, numbness around the saddle area, or bladder/bowel changes mean urgent local assessment — today, not a 48-hour email.
- It's only as good as the imaging. If your scans are old or incomplete, a responsible specialist will say so rather than guess. We'd rather refund than speculate.
- It doesn't replace your home doctor. It's a second data point from a high-volume specialist — designed to sharpen your decisions, not override your local team.
The Context
How the alternatives compare.
| Route | Cost | Wait | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS specialist reviewEngland | Free | Weeks to monthstrauma & orthopaedics is the longest queue in the NHS — 38.9% wait over 18 weeks (Aug 2026) | In-person consultation, full NHS pathway — excellent once you're in; the queue is the problem |
| UK private consultationLondon & regional centres | £200–£350initial consultation; scans reported separately | 1–3 weeks | Face-to-face consultant appointment, usually 20–30 minutes |
| HanBridge written second opinionRemote, imaging-based | $99fixed — nothing extra to discover later | 48 hours | Written report from a named senior specialist, in English, yours to keep and share |
Want To Talk It Through?
Upgrade to a video consultation.
If the written opinion raises more questions, book a live video consultation with a specialist — an Associate Chief Physician or Chief Physician, with interpretation handled by us. Many patients use it to pressure-test the written report before making any decision about treatment.
Live video · interpretation included
Questions
Asked often.
Yes. Your case is reviewed by a named senior specialist — a Chief or Associate Chief Physician in spine surgery or orthopedics at a Grade-A tertiary hospital — whose sub-specialty and case volume fit your condition. The written report carries their name and credentials. HanBridge coordinates; the opinion is entirely the specialist's.
Yes — it is written in English precisely for that. Many patients use it to structure better questions for their home team, or to confirm a surgical recommendation before committing. It is an opinion based on your imaging and history, not a replacement for an in-person examination.
Send it through the free case assessment first. If newer imaging would change the answer, we will tell you before you pay anything — an opinion built on stale imaging is not worth $99 of your money.
Then that is what the report says. A second opinion that always ends in "come have surgery" would be worthless to you and reputationally fatal to us. If conservative management or local care is the right answer for your case, we'd rather tell you that than sell you a flight.
If we cannot match your case to a suitable specialist, or if your records turn out to be insufficient for a responsible opinion, we refund you in full before any review begins. Once the specialist has started the review, the fee is earned.
Start with the free assessment.
Tell us your case — we'll confirm a second opinion is genuinely useful for it, and match the right specialist. Free, and no obligation either way.