Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Verdicts & Settlements: Medicine

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Failure to diagnose arteriovenous malformation

March 26, 2024

Alan Meller, 57, underwent a magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) of the brain after experiencing a severe headache. Neuroradiologist Neil Horner, an employee of Summit Radiological Associates, PA, allegedly interpreted the cerebral vessels as normal. Meller’s primary care provider allegedly advised him that he was likely suffering from adult-onset migraines.

Eighteen months after the MRA, Meller suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which resulted in irreversible brain damage. He required 24-hour care until his death at age 60.

Meller’s estate sued Horner, alleging that he failed to diagnose an arteriovenous malformation on the MRA. Had the condition been properly diagnosed, the plaintiff asserted, Meller could have undergone surgery and would have avoided a rupture.

The parties settled for the defendant’s $3 million policy limits.

Citation: Meller v. Horner, No. ESX-L-2040-19 (N.J. Super. Ct. Essex Cnty. Undisclosed Date).

Plaintiff counsel: Bruce Nagel and Sue Connors, both of Roseland, N.J.