Tests
Even if an infection appears obvious, your orthopaedic surgeon will probably order an x-ray if a recent one has not been done. Blood tests may also help identify the infection. If these tests do not confirm you have an infection, your orthopaedic surgeon may order additional tests, such as a computed tomography (CT) scan, a tagged white blood cell scan, and a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI), although this is rare.
Because a healing fracture may show the same positive test results as an infection, it is often difficult for doctors to firmly diagnose an infection after a fracture. It is often up to the knowledge and experience of the orthopaedic surgeon to determine whether there is an infection.