Airport metal detectors and orthopaedic implants.

A total of 18 subjects with a variety of orthopaedic implants and volunteers with the same but exteriorly fixed implants were examined by security staff of an airport using arch and hand-held detectors. All the implants activated the metal arch detectors but a small number of these activated the alarm threshold. The hand-held detectors alarmed overall superficial implants. For all these reasons it is therefore imperative that each patient carry a suitable certificate in order to avoid searching.