Couple sues radiologist claiming he overlooked signs of both cancer and a spinal injury
A Maine couple are suing a radiologist and his organization, claiming the doc missed signs of cancer and a spinal injury on a CT scan three years ago.
Jeffrey Robinson first visited the emergency department at Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston, in March 2023 complaining of back and stomach pain, decreased urination and other symptoms. He underwent a CT scan at the time, which plaintiff attorneys claim showed signs of a spinal epidural abscess.
It also purportedly unearthed an incidental finding between the esophagus and stomach, suspicious of possible gastro-esophageal cancer, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported Tuesday. He was discharged home but was diagnosed the next day with the abscess, which purportedly caused cord deformity and critical narrowing of the spinal canal.
“A prudent ER doctor would not have sent him home,” attorney Elizabeth Kayatta, who is representing Robinson, told the news outlet. “Even as they were discharging him, it was already becoming more difficult for him to walk, which is a neurologic sign of when there’s a problem with the signal for your spinal cord,” she added.
Robinson and his wife, Winona, both of Auburn, Maine, are now suing the emergency doc, radiologist, Central Maine Medical Center, and X-Ray Professional Association. The latter is a Lewiston, Maine, radiology company which is part of the hospital and employs eight radiologists, according to its website. Central Maine Healthcare, which owns the hospital, denies allegations that the patient was negligently discharged, according to the report.
Kayatta claims the ER doc should have ordered an MRI to rule out a spinal epidural abscess, rather than the urinary catheterization that was requested. She charges that the delay in diagnosis has resulted in permanent spinal injury, lower extremity weakness, motor dysfunction, pain, numbness and sexual dysfunction.
Robinson was later diagnosed with gastro-esophageal cancer 14 months later, in May 2024. A medical expert hired by the couple claims the delay in diagnosis led to his cancer progressing to stage 3, resulting in lower life expectancy. The Robinsons allege the delay in diagnosis has led to “extraordinary medical and life care expenses” while also stopping the husband from being able to earn money.
In court filings, an attorney for the defendants has denied the allegations, charging that the “injuries and damages allegedly sustained were caused by a medical condition or emergency that could not be prevented.”
Read more about the case here:
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.