Xu jin underwent surgery to remove her ailing right ovary in 2001, but she ended up also losing her healthy left ovary after the operation.

She is accusing doctors at the Shanghai Gynecology & Obstetrics Hospital of cutting her left ovary by mistake, which has adversely affected her health.

Xu is claiming 100,000-odd yuan (US$12,048) in compensation from the hospital in an appeal filed against the verdict by the Huangpu District People's Court in June, which rejected her case.

The shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court heard her appeal yesterday and will announce its ruling in the near future.

Xu had an operation at the hospital for a cyst on her right ovary in June 2001. However, she claims, the doctors cut off both her ailing right ovary and the healthy left reproductive organ during the surgery.

"To my surprise, the doctor informed me that I have lost both of my ovaries. The operation was meant to remove the right one, but I didn't know what happened to the left one which was healthy," said Xu. "An ultrasonic test beforehand showed that both my ovaries existed. The only explanation for the missing ovary was that the doctors had cut the organ by mistake."

Xu said the operation had affected her life.

"I am only 31 years old but my physiological age could well be more than 50 years. I am even worse than a woman entering menopause, since spawning of female hormones stopped after I lost my reproductive organs, the two ovaries," she added.

However, the hospital denied any culpability, insisting the surgery was conducted in accordance with relative rules. "Doctors didn't cut her left ovary. They never saw the organ during surgery," said Shen Tao, the hospital's attorney.

"Moreover, according to routine practice, if the right ovary suffers from cancer, it is a must to cut the left ovary in order to prevent the cancer cells from spreading," Shen added. "Also, the ultrasonic exam can sometimes give a wrong picture."

Xu's attorney, Tang Jianli, claimed the hospital didn't honor the pre-surgery agreement signed by Xu's family and the hospital, which stipulated that doctors must conduct a pathology test before cutting any organs and tissues during the operation.

"However, doctors removed the reproductive organs without doing the test. They only showed us a report later and claimed that Xu had cancer of the right ovary. We have reasons to doubt their word," said Tang.

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