A veteran doctor from Singapore has been suspended for a year by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) following a misdiagnosis in 2019 that led to a teenage patient losing his left testicle. Dr. Yeo Khee Hong, with over 40 years of experience, misdiagnosed the 15-year-old boy, initially treating him for abdominal colic and later for a testicular infection, missing the critical diagnosis of testicular torsion.

On March 22, 2019, the teenager visited Dr. Yeo’s clinic in Bukit Batok, complaining of pain in his left abdomen, which had begun in his left testicle. He also reported increased bowel movements and watery stools. Dr. Yeo performed a physical examination and found no abnormal mass or torsion in the testicle, diagnosing the boy with abdominal colic and prescribing stomach-related medication.

Five days later, the boy returned with swelling and increased pain in his left testicle, which worsened with movement or sitting. Dr. Yeo diagnosed him with orchitis and epididymitis, prescribing antibiotics and ordering blood and urine tests. Despite these measures, Dr. Yeo did not consider intermittent testicular torsion as a possible diagnosis and did not refer the boy to a specialist or an emergency department.

On April 1, 2019, the boy's father contacted Dr. Yeo, reporting that his son was in severe pain. Dr. Yeo then advised immediate hospital attention. At the hospital, a scrotal ultrasound revealed that the boy was suffering from testicular torsion, leading to surgery that resulted in the removal of his non-viable left testicle.

The SMC’s disciplinary tribunal found that a "reasonable and competent doctor" in Dr. Yeo's position would have considered the possibility of intermittent testicular torsion during the March 27 consultation and would not have excluded it without referring the patient to a specialist or emergency department. Until it is confirmed, the standard of care in such instances is to treat any acute scrotal pain as possibly symptomatic of a testicular torsion.

According to the tribunal, the boy had a 90.4 to 97.2 percent chance of saving his testicle if he had been referred for urgent care in time. The boy endured not only physical pain but also significant emotional and psychological distress from losing a testicle, with potential long-term effects on his fertility.

Dr. Yeo pleaded guilty to professional misconduct, admitting that he failed to provide competent and appropriate care and to exercise due care in managing his patient. A second charge of failing to provide adequate information to the patient was considered in his sentencing. Dr. Yeo acknowledged his lapses, stating that, in an effort to avoid raising unnecessary concern, he made the incorrect judgment decision not to warn the boy about the danger of testicular torsion.

In addition to his one-year suspension, Dr. Yeo was censured and required to submit a written undertaking to the SMC to avoid similar conduct in the future. He was also ordered to pay the costs and expenses of the proceedings, including those incurred by the SMC’s lawyers.

The boy's father lodged a complaint with the SMC in July 2020, accusing Dr. Yeo of negligence that led to his son's testicle removal. The disciplinary tribunal emphasized that Dr. Yeo's misconduct delayed the boy’s diagnosis and treatment, resulting in a significant loss of the chance to restore the testicle.

(Input from various sources) 

(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)