A leading consultant radiologist involved in the treatment of the late Ann Moriarty has written to minister for health Mary Harney to express concern at what he says are false allegations made against him and to state that he identified an X-ray of her chest taken in June 2007 as "grossly abnormal".

Dr Martin Schranz has also told the Sunday Tribune he notified the HSE of what he believed to be several discrepancies in an internal HSE report into the case last year, but has not received a reply.

He declined to discuss the contents of a "personal confidential" email sent by him to Harney in which he outlined some of his key concerns.

However, independent sources have said that in the email Schranz is understood to have said he reviewed her X-ray in July at Ennis General Hospital.

This X-ray had been taken on 11 June 2007 and his report was dictated onto a tape. But he noted that, as he was not asked to cross check the final report, he had no way of establishing if what was written into the report reflected what he had said on the tape.

He said he found the X-ray was "grossly abnormal" with a large shadow seen in the left lung.

Two internal HSE reports found the 11 June X-ray was misread as "normal" by a locum consultant radiologist.

They also revealed that the medical team in the hospital's emergency department wrongly found another chest X-ray on her on August 11th, 2007, was "fine".

Dr Schranz is a senior consultant now based at Cavan General Hospital and is the radiology network director for the North East.

In the email sent to Ms Harney, Dr Martin Schranz, is understood to have expressed significant concerns about what he believed to be a "flawed" internal HSE enquiry.

Well placed sources say he told Ms Harney that the documentation accompanying Mrs Moriarty's X ray contained no mention of her previous past history of breast cancer.

He also expressed dismay that he was not informed about the HSE enquiry until it had been completed, and said he could not understand why he was never interviewed with regard to this enquiry.

Ann Moriarty (53) died of breast cancer last April, just months after being told her chest X-rays at Ennis General Hospital were normal.

The X rays were performed in June and August of last year after the mother of one, presented there after feeling unwell.

She had been in remission from breast cancer after having a mastectomy at St James's hospital in Dublin in 2005.She also received a clean bill of health when she returned to that hospital in April 2007 for a check up.

A mammogram performed on her at the hospital that month, which was reported as normal, has since gone missing and cannot be reviewed.

But Dr Schranz also suggests that Mrs Moriarty should have had an ultrasound exam and CT scan prior to being discharged from St James's at that time.

If these were clear, then it is "highly improbable" that what he saw in Mrs Moriarty's X ray could have formed in the six week period between April and June 2007, he is also believed to have argued.

When contacted by the Sunday Tribune, Mrs Moriarty's husband, Karl Henry, said he was aware of the issues raised by Dr Schranz but declined to comment.

Mr Henry has previously told the media that he is dissatisfied with the two internal HSE reports into what happened.

Last month, the Sunday Tribune also revealed that a second woman, 26 year old Edel Kelly, from Kilrush, had died in similar circumstances after her cancer was misdiagnosed at Ennis General Hospital.

The revelation of both cases prompted Ms Harney to recently order an independent review of services at Ennis General Hospital by the Health Information and Quality Authority.