The plaintiff experienced a severe headache that led to a head CT scan being performed. The CT scan reportedly revealed a small subarachnoid hemorrhage in the convexities of the right occipital lobe…medicalmalpracticelawyers, $1.775M Settlement For Stroke From Aneurysm That Ruptured During Unnecessary Surgery
The plaintiff followed up with the defendant physician, who ordered a cerebral angiogram to investigate the cause of the subarachnoid hemorrhage. As a result of the cerebral angiogram, the defendant physician diagnosed the plaintiff with a 2-millimeter to 3-millimeter aneurysm located in the left middle cerebral artery that the defendant incorrectly concluded had previously ruptured, which the defendant concluded was the cause of the subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The defendant surgeon recommended that the aneurysm be surgically treated. During the surgery, the aneurysm ruptured and caused the plaintiff to suffer a debilitating stroke.
The plaintiff alleged in her Virginia medical malpractice lawsuit that the aneurysm was an incidental finding, that the aneurysm had not previously ruptured, and that surgery was unnecessary. Her expert opined that the plaintiff’s subarachnoid hemorrhage was due to a condition known as reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), which is self-limited and does not require surgery.