A 35-year-old man in Rome was left with permanent facial damage after a shocking medical mix-up led doctors to mistakenly remove part of his jaw instead of extracting his wisdom tooth.
According to Daily Mail, the man initially visited the Umberto I Dental Clinic for a routine procedure to remove a wisdom tooth and a cyst. However, after a biopsy, doctors mistakenly informed him that he had a malignant tumor and required surgery.
Following the operation, he suffered significant facial disfigurement, particularly on the right side of his mouth. A month later, he was stunned to learn that follow-up tests showed no signs of cancer, meaning chemotherapy was unnecessary. Seeking a second opinion, he had the same tissue sample re-examined by the Catholic University of Rome, which confirmed that he never had a tumor and didn’t need surgery in the first place.
Further investigation revealed that the hospital had mixed up his test results with those of another patient who did have a malignant tumor in his jaw.
“Even now, I cannot describe my state of mind. I am alive, I am healthy, I do not have any fatal disease, but I have suffered a great deal,” he told Corriere della Sera.
The man has since taken legal action against the hospital, suing for damages. An investigation into the medical error is ongoing.
