Professor Munjed Al Muderis has launched defamation action against the Nine media group after it accused him of leaving patients in wheelchairs and excruciating pain as a result of bad care.

In a statement of claim lodged with the Federal Court of Australia on Friday, the orthopaedic surgeon said he was misled into doing an interview with 60 Minutes, which he says was selectively edited to omit crucial information.

The coverage, he alleged, amounted to a “campaign of denigration” against him.

The media reports — which included articles published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age back in September — damaged his reputation through “sensational and tabloid-style” journalism.