Medical experts have thrown their weight behind a Shipley doctor being sued for allegedly failing to diagnose a patient's appendicitis.

Solicitor Andrew Walker claimed he was left in agony after Dr Mary Cuthbert failed to spot the condition and his appendix burst, causing him to suffer a blood clot and hernia.

The father-of-four from Cottingley said he was seen by three GPs over four days in May 1993 but none of them referred him to hospital.

But Bradford County Court heard Mr Walker's appendix was in a "very unusual" place making diagnosis difficult.

And the court was told that Dr Cuthbert, of the Westliffe Medical Centre, was not to blame for the incident because Mr Walker's symptoms did not point towards acute appendicitis until they had burst.

Giving evidence on behalf of Dr Cuthbert, Dr Gillian Stube - a GP for 28 years and an advisor to West Sussex Health Authority - said: "It is never easy to have a definitive answer to the problem very early on. You have to fit together the pieces of the jigsaw."

Speaking for the applicant, David Quilby QC, said: "Are you saying that this is just terribly unfortunate - that this could not have been detected and it was a great misfortune for Mr Walker?"

"I think it is," replied Dr Stube.

She said she had discussed the case with colleagues and added: "I have not come across anybody who would not have tried to work the cause out a bit before sending them to hospital.

"There was no stage that acute appendicitis was a clear possibility."

More likely reasons for Mr Walker's pain included an infection or kidney stones, she added.

John Stuart, a general and colo-rectal consultant, said Mr Walker's appendix was in a very unusual position - about one in every 1,000 people would have it there, he added.

He said the tip of the appendix, the part which had become infected, was so high in the abdomen that it would have caused Dr Cuthbert problems.

He said: "It is well recognised in medical literature that this would cause considerable difficulties with diagnosis."

When Dr Cuthbert realised the seriousness of the problem, she immediately called for an ambulance and he was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary. The court was told it then took eight hours for the operation to take place.

Mr Walker's damage claim includes £9,000 for loss of earning, £1,500 because he was unable to carry out planned DIY work and payment for 18 months of stress and clinical depression.

The case continues.

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