A woman who received treatment for a knee injury at a University of Iowa Health Care affiliate has filed a lawsuit against the group, according to court documents.

Barbara Gericke of Tiffin is suing UI HealthWorks for alleged negligence and “violations against standards of care.”

The documents say doctors performed an X-ray on Gericke’s right knee on Feb. 17, 2011. Nurse practitioner Tracie Abbott interpreted the results of the exam, according to the documents.

Abbott allegedly found Gericke’s knee was not fractured in any way but noticed a possible bone cyst in the tibia. Officials then sent the results of the X-ray to the UI Hospitals and Clinics’ Radiology Department. The department allegedly also noticed the lesion.

But Gericke said doctors never brought either diagnosis to her attention and, more than a year later, she sought treatment from a local physician for pain in her knee. Then, following a series of tests, doctors allegedly found the lesion near her tibia had grown larger and diagnosed it as a form of bone cancer.

Gericke subsequently had to undergo an amputation above the knee and is currently receiving treatment at the UIHC.

According to the document, Gericke is seeking compensation for past and future expenses, scarring, and disfigurement, among other damages. Some of Gericke’s relatives are also listed on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit demands a trial by jury.

— by Cassidy Riley