Woman's colon removed after misread CT scan: suit
 

By: Bethany Lindsay, ctvbc.ca


A B.C. woman who says half her large intestine was wrongly removed because of a misread CT scan is suing the local health authority and the unqualified radiologist who read the results.

Sophia Hilleren underwent hemicolectomy surgery in May 2010 after "significant misreadings" of her CT scan and small bowel follow-through results led her doctors to believe that she had colon cancer, according to a suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on July 19.

When doctors examined the excised portions of Hilleren's colon, they discovered that she did not, in fact, have cancer. A qualified radiologist re-examined Hilleren's scans and found no abnormalities, according to the lawsuit.

"Due to the negligence of the defendants, the plaintiff underwent unnecessary surgeries and ... will be on medications for the rest of her life," Hilleren's suit alleges.

The suit also claims that the gratuitous surgery will likely lead to diarrhea and malnutrition, and that Hilleren faces a life filled with stress, anxiety, depression, nausea and constant cramps.

Hilleren's scans were originally analyzed by Dr. Mansukhlal Mavji Parmar at Powell River General Hospital; since Hilleren's surgery, health officials have revealed that Parmar did not have the proper credentials to work as a radiologist.

Hilleren's suit says that she received a letter from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in June telling her that Parmar's reading of her scan was "misleading."

The lawsuit names Parmar, the health authority and Parmar's unidentified supervisor as defendants, and asks for damages for pain and suffering, health care costs and lost income, among others.

None of the allegations in Hilleren's claim have been proven in court.

Hilleren's lawyer told CTV News he has been unable to locate Parmar to serve him with the suit. Parmar is no longer practicing in B.C. and could not be reached for comment.

The health authority has yet to file a statement of defence, and a spokeswoman told ctvbc.ca that she was unable to comment while the case is before the court.

A review of how almost 7,000 CT scans were allowed to be analyzed by B.C. radiologists with questionable credentials is expected to be complete by the end of August.

BC Patient Safety and Quality Council chairman Dr. Doug Cochrane's review centres on four radiologists practicing in Powell River, Dawson Creek, Langley and the Fraser Valley.

how much does this case worth? 1 million? :D

ohh and source please?

oh man.. that's brutal if true. i would feel absolutely horrible for ruining the rest of someone's life like that.

I would've thought they'd do a biopsy before actually removing her colon. shitty deal.

I see what you did there :D

I don't know about you, but i'd rather have a functioning body part than a million dollars..

ditto

they just removed half of it

she'll be fine



but big :facepalm: on the part of reading the ctscan

but it doesn't make too much sense... because when the radiologist sees something its always given to the doctor to check out afterwards

the story sounds a little odd

^ shes not fine.. shes on meds for the rest of her life... i rather be dead.

plus dierhhea and everything else

For those who want the link: CTV British Columbia - Woman's colon removed after misread CT scan: suit - CTV News

I know someone who was called back into the physcians office and was told about the diagnosis of breast cancer...apparently the lab fucked up and it was actually not the right person.

now since the appointment was 3 weeks after she was called, can the person actually has the cancer sue the lab? That timeframe can mean a huge difference depending on the survival rate.

Your friend can sue, but doesn't mean she'll win...in this case, she'll end up losing money because of the lawyer charges/fees.

In order to win, she would need to prove that the past 3 weeks and the future to come, will have a huge impact in her life.
HUGE, as in the lab told her she has 1 year to live. So she quit her job last week and she's in traveling the world as we speak.

In the USA, they sue over everything. In Canada, people don't do it because if the settlement isn't large enough, it's just not worth it...

I didn't mean my friend...I meant the person that ACTUALLY had the cancer who was not contacted immediately because of name/person mix-up by the lab.

was just curious as it affects me or my friend in any way.

rip

:failed:

Bro, this is half of an organ that you need to survive. It takes out nutrients from food that you ingest. It helps regulate bowel movements and acts as a major highway for not only blood, but for food and waste (amoung other things).
That's like saying she still has her other leg, arm, or eye.

This shit isn't the liver where it can regenerate. Yeah, you'll "live", but how shitty of a deal is it if you have to constantly watch what you eat and take meds. Bitches can't even take their birth control pill on a regular basis.

On another note, a radiologist is supposed to be the Doctor. A real radiologist is a Doctor of Radiology. They specialize in advanced imaging. Usually, they don't need to confer with anyone else unless they think they need a consult. So it isn't that fishy that the diagnosis ended with the radiologist. The problem was this guy wasn't even a qualified radiologist which is fucked in itself.

The reason this was probably misdiagnosed was because around the intestines there is a lot of shit going on there. It's very difficult to distinguish a normal finding and an anomaly, especially because of the bowel gas that is superimposed over the organs. I assume the radiologist saw bowel gas and mistaken it for a lytic tumor or something.

It's just weird because whenever you go in for a major surgery, there should be about two to three doctors who would look at the CT scan of the area. 1) radiologist 2) doctor who picked up the symptoms and recommended the CT scan 3) the surgeon who is about to open the person up... So how all of these doctors "saw" the tumor is pretty messed. All of them should be held accountable.

^^^ Im well aware of the function and the side effects of having a removal/partial removal
and what i meant by my comment is its not an end to her life and there won't be any dietary restrictions etc so its not like a major traumatic event that will haunt her again she'll be fine the only thing that's a risk atm is infection which can occur months down the road


although i suppose its a matter of pov; im not saying she should be like "whatever" but she shouldn't feel like its the end of her life


and as for the radiologist i assumed it was just a tech that took a look at it instead of an actual doctor (my fault for not reading the article :D)

man no amount of money would suffice for having something thats functioning perfectly removed.... well.... maybe 10mil+ haha but thats just me

for 10 mil would you walk around in diapers for the rest of your life?

Horribile situation, however, I think its crucial to get a 2nd opinion or even a third before undergoing something as serious as a surgery, fuck its like buying a car.

The radiologist is the most qualified person who is reading the CT scans. The referring doctor and surgeon will ask the radiologist for the findings and pretty much instil their trust in them. A radiologist's speciality is looking at these images and making a diagnosis.

To have an unregistered and unqualified radiologist would be the same as me opening up my own walk-in clinic in my basement and giving out diagnosis and advice based on wiki.

And yes, there are SOOO many complications that arise from having half your colon removed. Malnutrition, abcesses, acitites, bowel obstructions, ostomies etc.. Going to the beach with a girl is pretty hard when you have a bag coming out of your abdomen full with shit and other stuff.

Did she happen to go clubbing at Fabric this past weekend?

^ lmao
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StylinVag you're a moron and need to STFU. Radiology techs don't read studies and make diagnosis. :failed:

^ Yes, calling him a vag makes you less of a moron than him. :failed:

The radiologist is like a mechanic and the doctor is like the service manager in this case. And the surgeon is the head mechanic.
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