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A PREGNANT woman who died with her unborn son after doctors misdiagnosed a chronic bowel condition as morning sickness could "theoretically" have been saved, an expert witness told her inquest today.

Teacher Melanie Gough, aged 24, a former student at the University of Worcester, died after unsuccessful emergency surgery for Crohn's disease which doctors failed to diagnose despite four earlier visits to hospital.

She was six months' pregnant with son Luie who also died.

Today independent medical witness Mr John Scurr said Ms Gough, from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, would have had a better chance with earlier surgery, but added that the possibility of survival was "very weak".

He said: "There is a theoretical possibility that the anastemosis (cutting out the failing part of the colon) may not have failed, but that's a very weak argument.

"Theoretically she may have been better but in reality she would have been exactly the same." The combination of pregnancy and Crohn's disease was always going to make the operation a risk, he said.

Professor John Schofield, the second of three expert witnesses called by the coroner, said he had never in his career seen a case of a pregnant woman with Crohn's disease.

On the first day of the hearing Richard Gough claimed his daughter, who was due to marry partner Phil Adams before her illness, would not have died had Gloucestershire Royal Hospital staff acted sooner.

Ms Gough, who fell pregnant in October the previous year, was treated throughout January 2007 for severe vomiting, dehydration and weight loss.

But she was discharged at the end of the month, after doctors wrongly diagnosed an unusually severe form of morning sickness, or hyperemesis gravidarum.

When she was readmitted at the end of February, after her symptoms worsened, an expert consultant immediately diagnosed her with Crohn's disease and ordered an operation to remove part of the colon.

She died on March 6 last year after the last-minute procedure - cutting out part of her colon and sewing up the two healthy ends - leaked and caused a septic infection.

Mr Gough told Gloucester Shire Hall that his daughter was one of five children and active in her local community in Longhope.

She had been with her fiancee Phil for four years and they were due to get married in April.

She fell pregnant on October 1 2006, and the couple had named their son Luie.

Despite several trips to the maternity unit with ongoing sickness and rapid weight loss, Mr Gough said that nurses urged her to put up with the pain.

It was not until February 15 that she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when Professor Hugh Barr, a consultant gastroenteritic surgeon, became involved in her care.

Mr Gough said: "Our family are absolutely devastated by the loss of our daughter and her unborn child. We feel her death was unnecessary and completely avoidable."

The evidence has now concluded and the coroner will return his verdict after 2.45pm this afternoon.