But her consultant at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh did not review the image until February the following year.

And the scan revealed that a spinal operation, carried out at the city hospital eight months earlier, had been botched. Specifically, it showed that a spacer had been inserted in the wrong place between two of her vertebrae and, as a result, she required another operation in March, 2013.

An investigation by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) was launched after the woman’s husband complained that his wife had suffered prolonged and unnecessary pain and discomfort, particularly as she was also recovering from radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

Although the complaint was originally levelled against NHS Lothian, the SPSO probe also considered the role of NHS Borders with regard to the provision of the scan.

Last week the watchdog upheld the complaint against NHS Lothian, determining that the care and treatment received by the woman had been “unreasonable”.

But ombudsman Jim Martin said that in the absence of “conclusive evidence”, he could not uphold a complaint against NHS Borders.

However, he recommended that the BGH should “review its procedures concerning the timely dispatch of radiology reports”.

Dr Sheena MacDonald, NHS Borders medical director, told the Border Telegraph that the health authority had accepted the SPSO’s recommendation.

“We can confirm that revised measures are now in place concerning the timely dispatch of radiology reports.

“At the time of the incident, the radiology department was experiencing significant demand and capacity issues which have since been addressed with the recruitment of an additional consultant radiologist and radiographer.”