Joan Rivers clinic denies claim that unplanned biopsy was performed there

Joan Rivers is still at the center of controversy, even after her death nearly a week ago.

Earlier this morning, a report claimed that Rivers underwent an unplanned vocal cord biopsy at the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic in Manhattan on Aug. 28. She then stopped breathing and was rushed to a hospital. She died a week later on Thursday.

The New York Daily News cited a medical source, who claimed that a doctor who came to the clinic with Rivers and her team. She was supposed to have a routine endoscopy, but this doctor allegedly saw that the comedian had a problem with her vocal cords and decided to do the biopsy on the spot.

A biopsy is not a procedure performed at an outpatient clinic, but rather in a hospital. And now, the clinic is telling The NYDN that this alleged biopsy never happened. The clinic claimed that the main issue was that general anesthesia was used for the procedure when something went wrong.

“General anesthesia has never been administered at Yorkville Endoscopy,” the statement read. “The type of sedation used at Yorkville Endoscopy is monitored anesthesia care. Our anesthesiologists utilize light to moderate sedation.”

The clinic did not mention Rivers by name due to privacy concerns.

Rivers died on Thursday at the age of 81.

image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com