A chef who claims an unnecessary operation was performed on her in Sligo General Hospital six years ago has taken a High Court action for damages.
Ms Connie Ewing (24) is suing the North-Western Health Board in relation to the alleged incident on November 17th, 1992.
In evidence, Ms Ewing, of Main Street, Ballinatra, Co Donegal said she was told she was having an operation to have an ovarian cyst removed but nothing wrong was found in the course of the operation.
She felt angry that an unnecessary surgery was performed leaving her with a five-inch scar around the bikini line.
Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Ms Ewing, said she was operated on by Dr Carthage Carroll who, counsel claimed, did not carry out a pre-operative ultra-sound examination.
One ultra-sound scan on October 1st appeared to show a complex mass of tissue measuring six inches by four inches in Ms Ewing's pelvic area. But the radiologist who conducted the scan recommended further scans should be carried out.
Mr Cooney said the gynaecologist, Dr Carroll, found nothing abnormal with Ms Ewing when he conducted surgery on her on November 17th, 1992. Nevertheless, Dr Carroll carried out a procedure on her uterus to make it more fixed. But Ms Ewing had not consented to this procedure which was, in any case, unnecessary.
In her evidence, Ms Ewing said she first met Dr Carroll on November 6th, 1992 when he carried out an internal examination on her. He told her she appeared to have an ovarian cyst and he drew a diagram showing this.
She found out a procedure had been carried out on her uterus during the November 17th surgery only when she subsequently went to see a doctor in Dublin.
When she discovered Dr Carroll had found nothing, she was angry and felt she had gone through the operation for nothing. In December 1992, she had received a letter from Sligo General Hospital asking her to return for a second ultra scan, Ms Ewing said. This was after she had undergone the surgery. She had taken the letter to her solicitor, Mr Damien Tansey, and explained to him what had happened.
The hearing before Mr Justice O'Donovan continues today.