Quebec investigation to review 15,000 mammos for errors

The Quebec College of Physicians has begun to review 15,000 mammograms and CT scans as part of an investigation into the reports' possible misreading by one Quebecois radiologist.

The college's investigation into radiology errors is the second in two years, in this case affecting patients of Fabreville Radiology in Laval, Quebec, as well as Jean-Talon Bélanger Radiology and Radiology Domus Medica clinics in Montreal. The Quebec College of Physicians limited the unnamed radiologist's activities beginning October 9, after the organization's quality assurance board identified "weaknesses" in the radiologist's practices.

Following the college's initiation of the official investigation on November 11, the radiologist retired from medical practice entirely, according to the Quebec College of Physicians.

All 15,000 films read by the radiologist in the past two years will be reviewed by two Quebec College of Physician radiologists under the coordination of Laval's Health and Social Services Agency. "Radiologists will reread the exams, but patients need not repeat them," stated Yves Robert, MD, secretary of the Quebec College of Physicians. All patients involved will be notified by December, though the College of Physicians said that final readings may not be available for up to six months.

"My main concern and that of the executive committee is to ensure that all relevant patients receive the best medical care as quickly as possible," said Charles Bernard, MD, CEO of the Quebec College of Physicians.