Pathology Expert Discusses Nerve Damage After Tumor Removal

ByJoseph O'Neill

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Updated onOctober 12, 2017

Pathology Expert Discusses Nerve Damage After Tumor Removal

This case involves a woman who presented to a clinic with a clogged ear canal with tinnitus that persisted for some time. The patient stated that her ear symptoms began when she suffered an upper respiratory infection. Testing revealed mild hearing loss due to the presence of a mass in the patient’s ear canal. The mass causing the blockage appeared to encompass the facial nerve, and the subsequent removal of the mass damaged the facial nerve. A nerve graft procedure was done, however the patient continued to suffer facial paralysis and difficulty with swallowing. It was alleged that the treating physicians were negligent in their removal of the mass.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1) Are you familiar with the removal of this type of tumor?

Expert Witness Response E-006784

inline imageI am a general surgical pathologist with subspecialty training in cytopathology, ocular pathology and head and neck pathology. I have diagnosed numerous schwannomas and acoustic neuromas over the past decade. Schwannomas (the type of tumor in question here) are nerve sheath tumors, and are a fairly common occurrence in the head and neck, being found in 3-4% off all patients at autopsy. Furthermore, these tumors are almost always benign, and their structure allows them to be completely removed via surgery on most occasions. That being said, there is always a risk of nerve damage when they are removed, which seems to have occurred here.

About the author

Joseph O'Neill

Joseph O'Neill

Joe has extensive experience in online journalism and technical writing across a range of legal topics, including personal injury, meidcal malpractice, mass torts, consumer litigation, commercial litigation, and more. Joe spent close to six years working at Expert Institute, finishing up his role here as Director of Marketing. He has considerable knowledge across an array of legal topics pertaining to expert witnesses. Currently, Joe servces as Owner and Demand Generation Consultant at LightSail Consulting.

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