An inquest into the death of a U.K. businesswoman and philanthropist has heard that an outsourced radiologist failed to flag signs of a twisted intestine in the woman’s CT scan, BBC News has reported.
Dame Julie Kenny, 67, was admitted to hospital on 8 February 2025 with abdominal pain. A CT scan outsourced to Everlight Radiology showed early signs of a twisted intestine, but the reviewing radiologist did not include the finding in his report, Doncaster Coroner's Court was told. The radiologist told the court he had previously been instructed by clinicians not to report mesenteric swirling for every patient, as it was frequently insignificant, according to BBC News.
Reportedly, a consulting radiologist who later reviewed the initial scan said it showed not only swirling but vascular occlusion, indicating the bowel was in an early stage of dying. A second scan performed on 15 February flagged features of significant clinical concern, prompting urgent surgical referral. Kenny underwent emergency surgery the same day but died a week later.
The inquest is ongoing.
