If Senator Frist, who is a good, good man, thinks that Terri didn't have a CAT scan, he is woefully misinformed.
I came to that conclusion when I heard his remark yesterday morning.
Terri has had more SCANS than merchandise at Wal-Mart stores!
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r109:78:./temp/~r1090OX7fB::
"Fifteen neurologists have signed affidavits that Terri should have additional testing by unbiased, independent neurologists. I am told that Terri never had an MRI or a PET scan of her head, and that disturbs me only because it suggests she hasn't been fully evaluated by today's standards. You don't have to have an MRI or PET scan to make a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state, but if you are going to allow somebody to die, starve them to death, I would think you would want to complete a neurological exam. She has not had an MRI or a PET scan, which suggests she has not had a full neurological exam.
I should also note that the court sided with the testimony of Dr. Ronald Cranford, who is an outspoken advocate of physician-assisted suicide.
A 1996 British Medical Journal study conducted in England's Royal Hospital for Neurodisability concluded there was a 43 percent error rate in the diagnosis of PVS. It takes a lot of time, as I mentioned earlier, to make this diagnosis with a very high error rate. If you are going to be causing somebody to die with purposeful action, like withdrawal of the feeding tube, you are not going to want to make a mistake in terms of the diagnosis."
My correction .... Senator Frist did not say CAT scan.