Brain surgeon 'lied to patient' about removing her tumour
Medical tribunal hears that woman was told her tumour had been removed when it had not
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A surgeon who told a patient he had successfully removed her brain tumour and urged her not to seek further treatment had in fact not removed it, a misconduct hearing has heard.
Emmanuel Labram allegedly convinced his patient that she was healthy for two years after operating a tumour growing at the base of her brain. By the time she sought private help, her tumour was inoperable, according to The Times.
Mr Labram is now appearing before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Hearing.
He allegedly operated on the woman at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in September 2008, where instead of removing the legion, which at the time of discovery in 2007 was an inch in diameter, he removed four fragments.
After the operation, Mr Labram allegedly assured the woman, referred to as Patient A, and her husband that everything had progressed well during the operation, forging medical documents to continue the deception, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard.
The General Medical Counsel claims that In January 2009, he is altered a pathology report and sent letters to the woman’s GP indicating that she was healthy. They also claim that he then failed to pass on the results of two MRI scans, only admitting the presence of the tumour on a third scan and that he told the woman that the tumour must have reoccurred.
Craig Sephton, QC, for the General Medical Council, said: “It is difficult to understand why Mr Labram initially told the patient and her husband that he had completely removed the lesion when he must have known that no such thing had happened. He then lied and lied and lied in order to cover up his initial failure and the GMC will therefore invite you to conclude that is what has happened.”
“Mr Labram gave Patient A’s husband a vivid description of how he had removed the tumour and informed Patient A the surgery had gone well,” said Mr Sephton. “In fact, he had not excised the lesion at all.”
He has not appeared at the Manchester Tribunal since he made a failed bid to be voluntarily taken off the medical register. The hearing continues.
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