Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Nov 14;12(42):6857-60.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i42.6857.

Medical malpractice litigation related to gastrointestinal endoscopy in Japan: a two-decade review of civil court cases

Toru Hiyama  1 , Shinji Tanaka, Masaharu Yoshihara, Tatsuma Fukuhara, Shinichi Mukai, Kazuaki Chayama
Affiliations

Medical malpractice litigation related to gastrointestinal endoscopy in Japan: a two-decade review of civil court cases

Toru Hiyama et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To examine the allegations in malpractice litigations related to gastrointestinal endoscopy in Japan.

Methods: A retrospective review of cases tried in the civil court system during the 21-year period from 1985 to 2005, identified in a computerized legal database, was undertaken.

Results: Eighteen malpractice litigations and a total of 30 allegations were identified. Of the 18 (44%) malpractice litigations, 8 (44%) were related to esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 4 (22%) to colonoscopy, 4 (22%) to endoscopic sphincterotomy, and 2 (11%) to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Seventeen (94%) cases pertained to complications, and the remaining (6%) case pertained to misdiagnosis. In 10 cases, the patient died of the complications. Allegations were categorized as: (1) performance error during the endoscopic procedure (n = 12, 40%); (2) lack of informed consent (n = 9, 30%); (3) performance error during the treatment after the endoscopic procedure (n = 4, 13%); (4) premedication error (n = 3, 10%); (5) diagnostic error (n = 1, 3%); and (6) indication error for the endoscopic procedure (n = 1, 3%).

Conclusion: These data may aid in the design of risk prevention strategies to be used by gastrointestinal endoscopists.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Kern KA. Medical malpractice involving colon and rectal disease: a 20-year review of United States civil court litigation. Dis Colon Rectum. 1993;36:531–539. - PubMed
    1. Hiyama T, Hiyama E, Yoshihara M, Tanaka S. Learning from litigation cases. Risk-management in gastroenterological practice. Tokyo: Nihon Medical Center; 2005.
    1. Peghini PL, Salcedo JA, Al-Kawas FH. Traumatic uvulitis: a rare complication of upper GI endoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc. 2001;53:818–820. - PubMed
    1. Rino Y, Tokunaga M, Morinaga S, Onodera S, Tomiyama I, Imada T, Takanashi Y. The buried bumper syndrome: an early complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Hepatogastroenterology. 2002;49:1183–1184. - PubMed
    1. Plumeri PA, Rogers J. A lawyer's view of colon cancer in the 1980s. J Clin Gastroenterol. 1988;10:229–231. - PubMed

MeSH terms