Joan Rivers' personal doctor took a selfie photo in the procedure room where the comedian was under sedation for a biopsy on her vocal chords, a source close to the investigation of her death told CNN.
After Dr. Lawrence Cohen performed an endoscopy on Rivers at Yorkville Endoscopy in New York, a biopsy was done by Rivers' personal doctor without the comedian's consent, according to CNN. The doctor has not been named.
Investigators believe that during the unapproved biopsy, Rivers' vocal chords began to swell, constricting the flow of oxygen to her lungs and causing cardiac arrest. Rivers was then rushed from the clinic to New York's Mount Sinai hospital. After a week spent on life support, Rivers died on September 4th at the age of 81.
The New York Times had reported that an ear, nose and throat specialist was present inside the clinic's operating room during the endoscopy and afterward, despite not being authorized to practice medicine in the clinic. The New York State Health Department has been investigating Rivers' treatment at the clinic and her death. Last Thursday, Yorkville Endoscopy denied reports that a biopsy was performed on Rivers' vocal chords. A day later, it was announced that Dr. Cohen, the physician who performed the endoscopy, was no longer at the clinic.