‘A little too late’: Hospital apologises for Mayo woman’s brain tumour diagnosis delays

A hospital has apologised in court for “the deficiencies in care” to a woman on two occasions, which led to a delay in the diagnosis of her brain tumour.Mary Keane (49), who was suffering from severe headaches, had two brain MRI scans at University Hospital Galway in 2013 and 2016, but it was claimed these were misreported, the High Court heard on Thursday. The woman was not diagnosed with a brain tumour until she had another MRI scan in 2023.Jonathan Kilfeather, counsel for Keane, instructed by solicitor Damien Tansey, told the court Keane could have had surgery had the brain tumour been spotted in 2013 and 2016. He said she would still have a terminal cancer diagnosis, but her life would have been extended by five years.The apology was read to the court as Keane, from Westport, Co Mayo, settled a High Court action against the HSE.READ MOREIn a letter of apology, hospital general manager Chris Kane apologised on behalf of the Galway hospital “for the deficiencies in care in 2013 and in 2016 which led to the delay in the diagnosis of your brain tumour”. The letter added: “We wish to acknowledge the upset and distress that this caused you. We deeply regret this and offer you our sincere apologies.”Outside court, Keane, who uses a wheelchair, said she was distraught and devastated.“I don’t know how many years I have left to live. I can’t work, I can’t stay in the house on my own. I was let down, I was up and down to the hospital in Galway, I said I had a headache every single day,” she said.[ Boy (8) settles action over circumstances of birth at Cork hospital for €7.5mOpens in new window ]She described the apology as “disgusting” but said, “at least I got something”. She said it was “a little too late”.Keane had sued the HSE over her care at University Hospital Galway. She had, in 2005, suffered a head injury when she hit her head off the pavement during an assault. She was seen at Mayo University Hospital and diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, and a scalp laceration was treated.From October 2005 to November 2006, Keane complained of headaches and was referred to neurology in University Hospital Galway.A number of investigations were carried out, with an MRI brain scan in January 2013. It was claimed that this scan was misreported, which suggested that the lesion was established and probably related to trauma. It was claimed this would have misled the treating neurologists into believing that Keane’s only issue related to features arising from her head injury in 2005. The scan, it is claimed, should have been reported as showing an incidental but very significant new brain lesion.It was contended that, had the January 2013 scan been correctly reported, Keane would have been referred to neurosurgeons and had a surgical resection in March 2013.A repeat MRI was planned but not performed until January 2016. It was claimed that the reporting of this 2016 scan fell below the standard of a competent general radiologist and an immediate referral for a neurological opinion should have been recommended.[ Man who suffered stroke in Cork hospital settles action for €1.2mOpens in new window ]Had the January 2016 scan been correctly reported, Keane, it is claimed, would have been referred to neurosurgeons in January 2016 and seen the following month, which would have led to surgery in March of that year.In 2020, Keane reported an episode of blurred vision, and she had up to 12 headache episodes a month. She continued to have periodic headaches, but in 2023 she began to have more significant headaches An MRI scan in 2023 showed the lesion, which had spread. Keane was transferred to Beaumont Hospital Dublin, where a brain biopsy was carried out and she was told that the tumour was not suitable for surgical resection and instead she had radiotherapy. Noting the settlement, Judge Leonie Reynolds said Keane had been through a very difficult time.