In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that the radiologist missed the diagnosis on the earlier mammogram because he had read 162 radiographs on that day, more than the average of 50-70 per day cited in published studies. The radiologist himself discovered his error after comparing the newer images to those taken the year earlier. He saw that the front part of the lesion had shown previously in one view but not in the craniocaudal view because the breast had not been properly positioned. He included in his report after the second year's screening that the lesion had been present the year before, although not reported at that time, and recommended the patient undergo a prompt biopsy. The woman underwent a mastectomy as a result and eight months later filed the lawsuit.
Berlin presents several recommendations to radiologists to improve their performance.
Radiologists should be aware of published studies that show the average workload for a radiologist to be 50-70 diagnostic procedures a day, while noting these studies contain disclaimers showing that many factors affect daily workloads for radiologists. Berlin writes a regular monthly column of commentary for the AJR on malpractice issues in radiology. The American Roentgen Ray Society, founded in 1900, is the first and oldest professional society of radiologists in the world. The society has been a forum for progress in radiology since shortly after the discovery of the X ray and is dedicated to the goal of the advancement of medicine through the science of radiology and its allied sciences.