Scans carried out on a Dublin woman during her pregnancy with twins who were both stillborn at the Coombe Hospital have been criticised by a British expert at the High Court.
Prof Nicholas Fisk, introduced as an expert witness in materno-foetal medicine, said one scan carried out on Ms Dorothy Cunningham on August 7th, 1998, 11 days before her twins were delivered stillborn, had failed to address "the principal issue", to record foetal growth.
Called as an expert yesterday by Ms Cunningham's side in her action for damages arising from the death of her twins, Prof Fisk agreed there was no evidence of foetal distress in that scan. However, because it failed to record growth, he considered this was a "Mickey Mouse scan" and that more should have been carried out.
If a scan had been carried out in Ms Cunningham's 36th week of pregnancy, Prof Fisk said, this would probably have shown reduced growth in the smaller twin, who had died first, and this would, in his view, have altered the management of the pregnancy.
He disagreed that both twins were within normal size parameters on delivery and denied a suggestion that there was no growth restriction.
He was being cross-examined during the continuing hearing of the action by Ms Cunningham (46), a mother of two, of Bushy Park Road, Terenure, Dublin, arising from the management of her pregnancy in 1998.
Ms Cunningham claims her twin boys could have been saved had their condition in the womb been properly diagnosed and acted upon and had they been delivered sooner.
The proceedings seeking damages for personal injuries and mental distress are against the governor and guardians of the Coombe Lying-In Hospital; two consultant obstetricians, Dr Paul Bowman and Dr Bernard Stuart; Mr Gerard Hurley, a consultant radiologist; and Ms Siobhán Ní Scanaill, a sonographer.
It is claimed that Ms Cunningham came into the care of Dr Bowman during her pregnancy and that Dr Stuart had also participated in her care at material times during her pregnancy.
Mr Hurley is alleged to have carried out and/or supervised some scans of Ms Cunningham during her pregnancy and to have reported on those, while Ms Ní Scanaill is also alleged to have carried out and reported on some of her scans.
The defendants have denied the claims. The case resumes on Tuesday.