Surgeon who repeatedly dismissed adrenal malignancy as haematoma found guilty of misconduct
By the time the WA endocrine surgeon admitted her for biopsies, the tumour had metastasised
An endocrine surgeon said he dismissed imaging reports that showed a young patient likely had adrenal cancer because he became “fixated” on the idea that it was a haematoma.
The patient who later died had originally presented to Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital in late 2015 complaining of left flank pain that radiated into her left abdomen.
A CT scan revealed a 5cm diameter mass above her left adrenal gland, consistent with a haematoma with the possibility of an underlying lesion.
The WA State Administrative Tribunal heard she was then advised to return in three months for a follow-up scan and be reviewed by the endocrine surgery team.
