Daniel E. Holloway
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Georgia Urology complaint alleges prostatectomy sphincter injury before delayed contracture diagnosis

The complaint alleges that a urologist performed a laser prostatectomy on a patient on March 8, 2023, and injured his urinary sphincter muscles. He developed significant urinary incontinence after the procedure and repeatedly reported it to the practice. About four months later, the urologist found poor sphincter function and necrotic tissue at the surgical site. About two months after that, when incontinence worsened, he did not perform a bladder ultrasound or other testing for urine retention. A second urologist later found a severe bladder neck contracture and nearly a liter of retained urine, and referred him to another hospital for evaluation. Reconstructive surgery then required two emergency re-operations for bleeding, and he developed kidney failure.

System
Georgia Urology
Facility
Georgia Urology
Providers involved
Lewis Kriteman, M.D. / Georgia Urology
Pattern
Alleged sphincter injury during a laser prostatectomy and delayed diagnosis of a resulting bladder neck contracture
Harm
Alleged severe urinary retention, reconstructive surgery with two emergency re-operations, and kidney failure

Overview

This page concerns a complaint alleging that a urologist injured a patient’s sphincter during a prostatectomy and did not diagnose the resulting bladder neck contracture. Severe urinary retention and kidney failure followed.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

  1. The patient, then 67 years old, consulted a urologist at Georgia Urology on January 16, 2023, and received a presumptive diagnosis of an enlarged prostate.
  2. The urologist performed a laser prostatectomy on March 8, 2023, and injured the patient’s urinary sphincter at the bladder neck and below the prostate.
  3. The patient developed urinary incontinence after the procedure and reported it repeatedly over the following months.
  4. On July 25, 2023, the urologist performed a cystoscopy and found poor sphincter function and necrotic tissue at the surgical site.
  5. On September 19, 2023, the urologist suggested spinal cord stimulation, and the patient sought a second opinion instead.
  6. A second urologist performed a cystoscopy on November 1, 2023, and found a severe bladder neck contracture with only a pinhole opening. Retained urine measured nearly a liter, and the patient was referred to another hospital for evaluation.
  7. He underwent extensive reconstructive surgery on January 16, 2024, that required two emergency re-operations for bleeding, and he developed kidney failure.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

  • The urologist did not perform a timely bladder ultrasound or other testing for urine retention when the patient reported worsening incontinence in September 2023.
  • He did not consider a bladder neck contracture as the diagnosis, despite several office visits that gave him the opportunity.
  • The filing alleges this failure denied him early treatment of the contracture and the chance to avoid the complications that followed.
  • The complaint pleads negligence and medical malpractice, respondeat superior and agency against Georgia Urology, and loss of consortium. It attaches an expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1.

Entities and tags

Georgia UrologyLaser prostatectomyUrinary sphincter injuryBladder neck contractureUrinary retentionKidney failureCystoscopyFulton County, GeorgiaSurgical errorDelayed or missed diagnosisPost-operative complicationsUrologyReconstructive urologic surgery