The State Board of Medical Examiners found that Dr Santusht Perera removed a portion of right lung of 60-year-old Richard Flagg when he should have been operated on a tumour in the left lung, then lied and altered documents in an attempt to cover up the mistake.

The 2005 complaint said the error precluded any surgery on the cancerous lung, because the patient's lung function would have been too compromised.

The Board determined that Perera's actions constituted gross negligence and suspended Perera's medical license for two years. However, he could apply to be reinstated within six months.

State documents say Perera removed the lower and middle lobe of the patient's right lung during the September 2000 surgery. When Flagg woke up from surgery eight years ago in Bergen County hospital, he wondered why his right side hurt though he was told that his left lung was affected by tumour.

Flagg quizzed his surgeon Perera who lied that an even larger tumour had been detected in his right lung, according to state documents, the Star Ledger reported.

However, a pathology report found no cancer in any of the lung tissue removed.

Perera has also fined USD81,000. The announcement followed a New Jersey appeals court decision this month upholding the suspension of Perera's medical license.