Spinal Cord Injuries

April 11, 2016

$8 Million Jury Verdict for Patient Paralyzed by Late Diagnosis of Postoperative Epidural Hematoma

Joyce Williamson was 73 years old when she underwent surgery to treat spinal cord compression caused from cervical stenosis. Cervical stenosis is a slowly progressing condition that impinges on the spinal cord section of the neck. It can be very painful.

Several days after her surgery, she complained of shoulder weakness and then underwent an MRI of the cervical spine. The results showed fluid collecting, but no compression of the spinal cord. Her condition worsened. Her rehabilitation physician contacted her treating neurosurgeon who was Dr. George Shanno.

Dr. Shanno evaluated Williamson several hours later and gave a different diagnosis of stroke or epidural hematoma. An epidural hematoma is the traumatic accumulation of blood between the tough outer membrane of the nervous system and the skull. An epidural hematoma would usually occur because of a sudden and blunt blow to the head or in the event of a skull fracture.

January 21, 2016

$1 Million Settlement for Patient who Suffered Negligent Microdiscectomy

by Robert Kreisman

In a confidential settlement, a 50-year-old woman underwent a microdiscectomy performed by a neurosurgeon. The patient’s blood pressure dropped after the procedure, and her condition then deteriorated.

A CT scan showed that the woman’s iliac artery was injured during the microdiscectomy. By the time the patient was transferred to another hospital for repair surgery, her medical status was severely compromised. Despite an emergency surgery to repair the artery, the patient died.

The patient was the owner of a small business earning about $25,000 per year. Her decedent now runs the business. She was survived by her husband and three adult children.

October 19, 2015

Jury Enters Verdict of $45.6 Million in Spinal Surgery Gone Very Wrong

by Robert Kreisman

Edward Belowyianis, 14, suffered from scoliosis. Scoliosis is often referred to as curvature of the spine. The curve of the spine could be sideways and most often occurs during growth spurts in young people just before puberty. Scoliosis is not a disease, but is rather a medical term to describe the abnormal sideways curvature of the spine.

Because of this sideways curvature, pediatric orthopedic Dr. David Roye was the physician who performed surgery on Edward at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital.

As a result of the surgery, Edward suffered paraplegia, which is paralysis of the lower limbs of the body. Edward died of complications eight years later. He is survived by his parents.