Second Opinion The word, ﾒsecond opinionﾓ has been internationally drawn attention in medical field for the past several years; an opinion of the second doctor you see i.e. an opinion of the specialized third party. It means that the patient asks for an opinion of another surgeon about the possible treatment methods when diagnosis is given by the current doctor. This is very common in western countries because the patient goes to a private clinic first and then goes to a specialized institute with recommendation of the private practitioner for hospitalization and surgery. Thus, it is oftentimes a case for the patient to receive treatment seeing after two or more surgeons who agree to the same diagnosis. Thus, it is a different environment for patients in those countries from Japan where any patient can go to a university hospital from the beginning. If you are recommended the joint replacement surgery and have concerns, anxiety or questions, please feel free to contact us for consultation. You can choose where you undergo the surgery. However, you cannot always find an appropriate hospital or surgeon in your neighborhood. Any patient must be interested in opinions of those who are specialized in surgeries and treatments. We welcome any patient who is asking for a second opinion. To enable to offer this, we are planning to expand our service to accept appointments on an out-patient basis.