In an emotional courtroom speech, pioneering prosthetics surgeon Munjed Al Muderis has blamed Nine Network news reports for setting his profession back decades.
Dr Al Muderis is suing the media giant for defamation over reports alleging negligence and high-pressure sales tactics in relation to his prosthetic limb implants.
He said the reports created a global "misconception" regarding his field of osseointegration surgery, where a metal implant is anchored into the bones of amputees, in some cases allowing them to walk again.
Dr Al Muderis faced questions in the Federal Court on Friday about the post-surgery outcomes of one patient featured in Nine's reports who says she suffered ongoing pain and other complications that were ignored by her surgical team.
"I'm very passionate about this technology and Channel Nine has (taken) it back 20 years at least," Dr Al Muderis told the court.
"People deserve to have better mobility and what Channel Nine has done has destroyed that dream for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people."
The reports featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and on 60 Minutes in September 2022.
Nine is presenting a truth defence, relying on evidence from patients who allege they were harmed by Dr Al Muderis' actions.
One such patient, Lisa Calan, was a Kurdish activist and victim of an Islamic State bomb who experienced "unbearable" pain post surgery after she travelled back to Turkey from Australia, the court was told.
Nine's lawyer Matt Collins KC showed a series of messages in which Ms Calan complained of a lack of attention by Dr Al Muderis and his clinic.
In one email from 2018, she accused Dr Al Muderis, and another colleague who the email was also addressed to, of failing to properly consult with her and her doctors in Turkey.
She said she was convinced to travel back to Turkey during her recovery due to assurances by Dr Al Muderis she would be supported.
"You assured me by saying you would always remain in contact with my doctor and the situation would be under control," Ms Calan said in the email.
"Unfortunately, you have not provided this contact and have left me alone without recommending medication, talking to my doctor, or informing us whether this level of pain is normal or not."
Dr Al Muderis told the court it is not correct Ms Calan was left without support and said he is not a pain specialist so her concerns should have been directed to somebody with that expertise.
"It's an insult to say that her surgery had failed because the proof is that her surgery is a great success. It's an insult to thousands of patients that walk successfully with osseointegration surgery," he said.
"I am sorry if she has pain. I did not cause her that pain. She had intolerable pain because (of) the bastards that blew her leg off."
Another patient, former Australian Army infantry paratrooper Mark Urguhart, also complained of poor post-surgery outcomes.
Mr Urguhart suffered injuries all over his body.
Later he had a morphine pump inserted in his spine malfunction, which left him a partial paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair.
The court heard Mr Urguhart was hoping osseointegration surgery would allow him to walk his daughter down the aisle.
He complained of a "foul odour" from where the surgery was conducted and was told to use Febreeze to cover the smell, the court was told by Dr Collins.
Dr Collins suggested there were others in the room who "giggled" when the remarks were made, causing Mr Urquhart to leave the room.
