When Treatment Fails, Question the Diagnosis

[SWA]

I have lost count of how many times I was diagnosed with one condition or another and treated accordingly, only to experience little or no improvement.

When treatments repeatedly failed, some medical professionals appeared to attribute my lack of improvement to me—to an assumed unwillingness to recover or a failure to engage sufficiently with treatment. What was rarely considered, however, was another possibility: that the original diagnosis might have been incomplete, inaccurate, or simply wrong.

This experience has taught me how important it is to reconsider a diagnosis when the clinical picture does not fit or when appropriate treatment consistently fails to produce the expected results.

The following lecture provides a particularly informative perspective on this issue:

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

This experience has taught me how important it is to reconsider a diagnosis when the clinical picture does not fit or when appropriate treatment consistently fails to produce the expected results.

Treatments often fail when you have the right diagnosis. Not that many treatments solve diseases - except for some cancers maybe.

What is the relevant message of this video? It looks likely to be dodgy to me.

 

[Chandelier]

What is the relevant message of this video? It looks likely to be dodgy to me.

It certainly does.
From the video description:

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Help share more videos like this by donating to Bobby Jones CSF: https://bobbyjonescsf.org/donate-online/

In his lecture, Dr. Paolo Bolognese explores the complexities of diagnosing and treating Chiari I malformation, emphasizing that not every case that looks like Chiari is true Chiari—and that successful treatment requires looking beyond the initial diagnosis.
Dr. Bolognese introduces four important concepts: true Chiari, false Chiari, Chiari plus, and failed Chiari.
He discusses how associated conditions, including craniocervical instability and connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, can contribute to complex symptoms and challenging treatment decisions.
A central focus of the lecture is the relationship between Chiari decompression and craniocervical instability, particularly when both conditions coexist.
Dr. Bolognese describes innovative surgical approaches designed to address these challenges while improving outcomes for patients with complex Chiari.

Ultimately, the lecture highlights the importance of accurate diagnosis, recognizing associated conditions, individualized treatment, and understanding that treating Chiari may sometimes require addressing more than one underlying problem.

This lecture was given on August 8th at Northeastern University.

(2026)
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[Jonathan Edwards]

Has A Doctor With a History of Medical Malpractice Struck Again?

A Long Island neurosurgeon is in a lot of hot water as he faces separate medical malpractice lawsuits from three different women.

lawfitz.com

 

[Chandelier]

Has A Doctor With a History of Medical Malpractice Struck Again?

A Long Island neurosurgeon is in a lot of hot water as he faces separate medical malpractice lawsuits from three different women.

lawfitz.com

Heart-wrenching:

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Adding to already troubling news is the fact that the doctor has been sued at least 20 times for his medical care.​

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Dr. Bolognese’s Latest Legal Troubles​

The three women who brought the latest allegations against Dr. Paolo Bolognese were all diagnosed with Chiari malformation, a condition that occurs when part of the brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.​

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After being talked into surgery by Bolognese, the women say their conditions are actually worse.​

• One is now bedridden on most days.
• Another has trouble sleeping and swallowing, has a fast heartbeat, leg pain and weakened control of her ladder.
• The third victim, a former lifelong horse riding enthusiast, cannot move her head properly because of hardware that was improperly placed on her spine, and says she is “barely functional.”

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No Stranger to Scrutiny​

Bolognese’s name seems to be synonymous with questionable medical care. In 2010, he was suspended by North Shore University Hospital’s Chiari Institute – a program he co-founded – for failing to show up on time for surgery; a surgery for which the patient had already been given anesthesia.​

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Even though New York’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct investigated him that same year, no disciplinary action was taken.​

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[Wyva]

Yeah, when I saw Bolognese's name in the video, my first thought was: you mean the guy who keeps getting sued by his former patients?

 

[BrightCandle]

You can have the wrong diagnosis, you can have the wrong treatment, the treatment could be unproven and the treatment might just not work for you. The current level of understanding of most diseases and treatments is insufficient to do better.

I feel like humanity really wants better healthcare, it is willing to put a lot into improving it. However its not willing to invest in the research to improve it, the current worldwide ratio of spend on healthcare verses research is pretty bad in terms of which is likely to bring about the greatest change in more peoples lives and function.