A 61-year-old woman whose brain tumour was missed, despite undergoing scans, suffered years of severe headaches, depression and eventually vision loss, before it was finally spotted and removed.
Admitting to a breach of duty, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust told our client:
We have clearly let you down. It is hard to express how truly sorry we are that your tumour was missed following your MRI scan.
The woman, who had a history of migraines since her teenage years, visited her GP in 2013 complaining they had become significantly worse and she was referred to a rheumatologist.
Our client was diagnosed with temporal arteritis, where the arteries, particularly those at the temples, become inflamed. She was prescribed a high dose of steroids and the headaches initially subsided. However, a biopsy was never taken to confirm the condition.
When the migraines returned the steroid dose was increased, but her symptoms did not ease. In 2014 she underwent a scan at Lincoln County Hospital, another was later carried out at a private hospital, and both came back as “unremarkable”.
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Vision was lost in both eyes
Over the next year, further medical treatment was prescribed but nothing eased our client’s migraines. Then in 2016, she lost the peripheral vision in her left eye and another scan was carried out at Boston Hospital where the benign pituitary tumour was finally spotted.
While waiting for the tumour to be removed she then lost vision in her right eye. Eventually, in June 2017 the tumour was taken out, her vision returned almost straight away, and the migraines stopped. However, her pituitary gland was damaged and she will have to take medication for the rest of her life.
When the scans from 2014 were eventually reviewed the tumour was found to be present in both. The delayed diagnosis had a major impact on the quality of life of our client who underwent unnecessary treatment and endured physical and psychological pain.
In an out-of-court settlement, the Trust admitted breach of duty for failing to diagnose the tumour in 2014 and a settlement of £65,000 was agreed.
Delayed diagnosis had a profound effect on quality of life
Helena Wood, a medical negligence expert at Hudgell Solicitors, who represented the woman said she was full of admiration for how her client coped.
My client experienced numerous medical complaints over a period of four years which were not only physically debilitating, but they also had a profound effect on her quality of life, often leaving her coping with depression and anxiety. She was also prevented from fully enjoying landmark family celebrations.
This was all down to human error and her tumour not being identified and treated when she had her first scan in 2014. The distress and lifelong consequences will remain with our client, however we were determined to get answers, an apology and the right level of damages for her.
The failure has been accepted by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, who say ‘lessons have been learnt’.
Hudgell Solicitors understand that claiming a medical misdiagnosis can be an emotional time, so if you or someone you know has suffered in any way, through no fault of their own, please get in touch.
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