Two weeks after news broke of a temporarily suspended surgeon at the Robert Schuman hospital group (HRS), patients are now coming forward with their experiences in the so-called Wilmes affair.
Dr Philippe Wilmes, an orthopaedic surgeon, was reported by six fellow doctors at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). They alleged he performed or planned unnecessary knee operations on 15 patients – accusations the doctor publicly denies. Since the case became public, 35 people have contacted the Patient Advocacy Group, and several patients operated on by Dr Wilmes have also approached RTL.
Our colleagues from RTL.lu spoke with some of those affected, whose names have been changed for this report.
Nicolas, a footballer, was first operated on by Dr Wilmes in 2016 for a meniscus issue, a procedure he says was without complication. In late 2024, experiencing renewed pain and locking in his right knee after sports, he returned to the orthopaedist.
According to Nicolas, Dr Wilmes diagnosed the problem as a non-functional, very thin cruciate ligament. The surgeon reportedly advised that another meniscus operation would be futile, as it would need repeating every few years and could lead to arthritis or a knee replacement. Citing Nicolas’s young age, Dr Wilmes instead proposed cruciate ligament surgery, promising it would make the knee “like new.”
The surgery took place in March 2025. During postoperative rehabilitation, physiotherapists alerted Nicolas that something seemed amiss. When he followed up with Dr Wilmes, he was first seen by an assistant doctor, who prescribed an MRI scan.
“After Dr Wilmes came in and did his tests, he tore up the prescription and told me not to worry, my knee was perfectly fine. It would just take time”, Nicolas claims.
To this day, he reports no improvement and an inability to fully straighten his leg. After the suspension became public, Nicolas consulted another orthopaedist.
“And to quote it very briefly... I am quoting the doctor I saw: We would be talking about grievous bodily harm here”, Nicolas says.
An MRI scan conducted three months prior to the surgery – reviewed by RTL – shows intact cruciate ligaments. Nicolas acknowledges he did not seek a second opinion before the operation, having trusted Dr Wilmes based on his positive experience in 2016.
Another patient, Paul, recounts a similar experience. The 32-year-old athlete consulted Dr Wilmes in 2024 for knee pain. According to Paul, the surgeon told him he needed immediate cruciate ligament surgery or risk severe damage to his knee within a few years.
He was on the operating table four days later. “I trusted him blindly”, Paul said, recalling his initial relief at receiving prompt intervention.
Paul states he now suffers from lasting impairment, unable to fully straighten his leg and finding normal activities like walking or driving difficult. He has since sought a second opinion from another orthopaedist.
In a medical document reviewed by RTL, the consulting orthopaedist notes: “The indication for an ACL reconstruction procedure is explained neither by the patient’s medical history, nor by his symptoms, nor by the preoperative imaging.”
Paul is among several patients who have filed a formal complaint with the Medical Board, which has initiated disciplinary proceedings against the surgeon.
RTL has chosen to publish these testimonies to give a voice to the patients at the centre of this case. The statements cannot be independently verified, and the principle of presumption of innocence remains in effect for Dr Philippe Wilmes.
