Imaging of the postoperative spine requires the identification of several critical points by the radiologist to be written in the medical report: condition of the underlying cortical and cancellous bone, intervertebral disc, and musculoskeletal tissues; location and integrity of surgical implants; evaluation of the success of decompression procedures; delineation of fusion status; and identification of complications. This article presents a pictorial narrative review of the most common findings observed in noninstrumented and instrumented postoperative spines. Complications in the noninstrumented spine were grouped in early (hematomas, pseudomeningocele, and postoperative spine infection) and late findings (arachnoiditis, radiculitis, recurrent disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and textiloma). Complications in the instrumented spine were also sorted in early (hardware fractures) and late findings (adjacent segment disease, hardware loosening, and implant migration). This review also includes a short description of the most used diagnostic techniques in postoperative spine imaging: plain radiography, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), and nuclear medicine. Imaging of the postoperative spine remained a challenging task in the early identification of complications and abnormal healing process. It is crucial to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the imaging modalities to choose those that provide more accurate spinal status information during the follow-up. Our review is directed to all health professionals dealing with the assessment and care of the postoperative spine.

Osteoma is a benign bone tumour, with an incidence of 2% of all orbital tumours. Osteomas located in orbit remain asymptomatic until they reach a size that originates mass effect signs such as exophthalmos, diplopia, and unilateral blindness. Materials and methods. In this case, a male patient presented to the emergency room with progressive proptosis, worsening headaches, and swelling of the left anterior periorbital and frontal sinus region one year after the beginning of the symptoms. Results. Imaging studies revealed a hyperdense mass in the left orbital floor displacing the left globe superiorly and anteriorly with the optic nerve’s compression. Conclusion. Osteoma may represent an emergency in the long term when left untreated; it may destruct the eye due to direct pressure on the optic nerve and disturbance of the ocular blood supply.