Starry, starry night

Over the years, we’ve handled cases involving the failure to read a mammogram properly. These are challenging cases for a lot of reasons, some of which include:

• • The length of delay until proper diagnosis
  • Our client’s age
  • When metastasis occurred
  • Was there lymph node involvement?

Regardless, these are sad cases on many levels.

Even in the most clear-cut cases of medical mistake, the biggest challenge can be the use and presentation of the mammogram in the courtroom.

Not only do some mammograms illustrate dense breast tissue, prior biopsies, and distortion from the radiology equipment itself, but, to a layperson, the studies generally look cloudy, unclear, and difficult to read.

Often, there are hundreds of small white and gray dots and shapes on a gray and black background, making it difficult to distinguish a normal study from one with malignant cancer cells.

Fortunately, we retain board-certified breast radiologists who not only specialize in reading mammograms in their own medical practice but are also top-notch witnesses who can explain and demonstrate from the witness stand how the mammogram should have been interpreted.

We use state-of-the-art software in the courtroom that replicates exactly what the treating radiologist was looking at when the misinterpreted mammogram was performed.

After a successful trial ended, we spoke with some of the jurors, and they said our expert’s presentation of the mammogram was easy to follow. They said it was because she explained what was on the films as if we were all in a planetarium, and she pointed out what each cluster of stars meant in relation to the entire nighttime sky.

As she went through the mammograms, the breast cancer clusters were not difficult to spot, and she then showed the progression of the disease in subsequent mammograms.

Without the clear images and her demonstration, we all would have been left in the dark.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, it’s time to take a stand.

Contact us today for your free consultation.