Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
07:50
A Metadata Extraction Approach for Clinical Case Reports to Enable Advanced Understanding of Biomedical Concepts
Published on: September 20, 2018
The inherited diagnosis and diagnostic error: a case report
1Medizinische Universitat Lausitz - Carl Thiem, Cottbus, Germany.
Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany)
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Relying on old diagnoses can lead to medical errors. This case highlights how an inherited diagnosis of a Tarlov cyst masked a traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leak from a meningomyelocele, delaying correct treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Diagnostic Medicine
Background:
- Diagnostic errors can arise from unquestioned acceptance of prior diagnoses.
- Inherited or longstanding diagnoses may not always be accurate or fully verified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a case of diagnostic error due to an unquestioned, longstanding diagnosis.
- To illustrate the risks associated with diagnostic momentum and cognitive biases in clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a patient with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypotension syndrome following minor trauma.
- Review of diagnostic imaging and clinical course, including delayed recognition of a meningomyelocele.
Main Results:
- A sacral cyst was misattributed to a Tarlov cyst, delaying the diagnosis of a meningomyelocele causing a traumatic CSF leak.
- Despite progressive symptoms and explicit radiological concerns, the correct diagnosis was delayed.
Conclusions:
- Diagnostic momentum and cognitive biases can impede accurate diagnosis.
- Clinicians must critically evaluate prior diagnostic labels, as 'inherited' diagnoses pose a risk for error.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Documentation of Nursing Diagnosis
The nurse documents nursing diagnoses and enters them into the patient record. The identified patient's nursing diagnosis is either written out with a plan of care or entered into the electronic health record.
In some settings, data-driven computerized decision support systems are in place, allowing for more accurate nursing diagnoses. The database within one of these systems includes diagnostic labels defining characteristics, activities, and indicators for nursing. A nurse enters assessment...
In some settings, data-driven computerized decision support systems are in place, allowing for more accurate nursing diagnoses. The database within one of these systems includes diagnostic labels defining characteristics, activities, and indicators for nursing. A nurse enters assessment...
01:35Pedigree Analysis
Overview
01:25Formulating and Validating Nursing Diagnosis II
Nursing diagnoses represent a problem validated by major defining characteristics. There are four categories of nursing diagnoses: problem-focused, risk, health promotion or wellness, and syndrome. The anatomy of a nursing diagnosis includes three components: problem statement or diagnostic label, defining characteristics, and related factors.
Risk nursing diagnoses represent clinical judgments of an individual, family, or community more vulnerable to developing the health problem than others...
Risk nursing diagnoses represent clinical judgments of an individual, family, or community more vulnerable to developing the health problem than others...
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
01:26Formulating and Validating Nursing Diagnosis I
A nursing diagnosis is written when the nurse recognizes a cluster of essential patient data indicating health problems treated with independent nursing interventions. The standardized terminologies of a nursing diagnosis help nurses identify and treat patients' problems. Every electronic health record that uses nursing diagnosis must employ standard diagnostic terminology. Developing an efficient, individualized care plan begins with accurate nursing diagnoses.
There are thirteen domains for...
There are thirteen domains for...
01:22Nursing Diagnosis
Following assessment, a nursing diagnosis is the next step in the nursing process. It begins after the nurse has collected and recorded the patient data. The purpose of diagnosing is to identify how the client responds to actual or potential health processes, identify factors that bestow or that cause health problems, the etiologies, and identify resources or strengths the individual, group, or community can draw on to prevent or resolve problems.
The nursing diagnosis focuses on evidence-based...
The nursing diagnosis focuses on evidence-based...