Kidney stolen in surgery, man claims

A man who said his right kidney was stolen at a hospital in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, during surgery to deal with injuries from a tractor rollover, got a new medical checkup in Nanjing after he sued for compensation of 2 million yuan ($307,800).

The man, Liu Yongwei, was checked at Nanjing General Hospital in the provincial capital. A panel of experts was invited to analyze the results, and a conclusion will be drawn soon.

Liu, whose right lung, right kidney, liver and bones were injured when his tractor turned over in June, was sent to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College for treatment.

This year, his left kidney became infected, and he had it looked at in April. That's when he was informed that his right kidney was missing.

Liu's story attracted nationwide attention after he was interviewed by Xin'an Evening News in Anhui province in early May.

Yang Yu, director of the Xuzhou hospital's medical affairs office, said Liu's renal function was good when he was discharged.

"It's possible that the left kidney functioned well and concealed the fact that the right kidney had begun to atrophy," Yang said.

"It's possible that a damaged normal-sized kidney can atrophy to the size that cannot be shown on CT scan film or other medical check films. Similar cases have been reported."

Hu Bo, the doctor who operated on Liu, told Modern Express, a Jiangsu newspaper, that Liu told him he wanted to sell his left kidney when he consulted him in January.

"He said he wanted to know if I was involved in human organ trafficking," Hu was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"I told him immediately that human organ trafficking is against the law. He never mentioned to me that other hospitals had told him that his right kidney was missing."

Liu denied the doctor's account.

"What I want is not money but fairness. I just want to know what happened to my right kidney," he said.

According to Nanjing General Hospital, the latest examination results will be released soon, and workers at the Xuzhou Health and Family Planning Commission will provide the results to Liu.