media: Fertility doctor thought negligent - NashuaTelegraph.com

"....did not follow up on an abnormal biopsy on a 42-year-old patient who received fertility treatment, delaying her diagnosis of ovarian cancer for months....."

MJA Insight: : The cost of negligent opinion (expert opinion) WHAT should happen if an expert witness is negligent?

abstract: Urinary tract injury: medical negligence or unavoidable complication?

"The incidence of urinary tract injury is low in most gynaecological operations but, if undiagnosed, is a cause of significant postoperative morbidity for the patient and litigation for the gynaecologist. A Medline search of studies of urinary tract injury at gynaecological surgery show that only one in 10 ureteral injuries and one in three bladder injuries are detected at the time of surgery without intra-operative cystoscopy. As cystoscopy is not routinely performed by the majority of gynaecologists during surgery, even in difficult cases, failure to detect injury to the urinary tract by itself should not be seen as negligence. However, all gynaecologists performing pelvic surgery should be encouraged to become competent in cystourethroscopy and perform this intra-operatively, at least in all high-risk cases of gynaecological surgery."

Analysis of 136 Ureteral Injuries in Gynecological and Obstetrics Surgery From Completed Insurance Claims

"...Most injuries were found postoperatively; only 17 were discovered during surgery. The investigators conclude from these findings that most if not all ureteral injuries occurring through negligence are potentially avoidable with use of established surgical practices, especially dissecting out the ureter when indicated."