A Coroner's inquest yesterday heard more medical evidence into the road traffic death of Howard Berkeley three years ago.

Mr. Berkeley, 50, died of head injuries, on August 11, 1996 at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Coroner Archibald Warner heard Mr. Berkeley had originally been diagnosed with a broken leg after smashing into a parked car on Cavendish Road, Pembroke on August 6, 1996.

Mr. Berkeley, from Serpentine Road, suffered massive brain haemorrhaging three days later.

An operation to relieve pressure on the brain failed to stop massive bleeding for Mr. Berkeley who was an alcoholic and had diabetes.

The inquest revolves around the treatment Mr. Berkeley received, particularly whether doctors accounted for a medical condition -- called idiopathicthrombocytopaenia or IPCP -- in which the lack of sufficient red cells hampers blood clotting which heals wounds.

Alcohol abusers who have damaged their livers and people with liver injuries often have IPCP which makes medical treatment tricky and requires constant monitoring.

Lawyer Saul Froomkin represents the Berkeley family while Sgt. Phil Taylor is the Police Coroner's officer.

Keith Cunningham, a clinical pathologist, specialising in haematology or blood analysis, detailed for the court the proper procedure for dealing with people with low blood counts.

He said a doctor would have to be careful before, during and after surgery with a patient with symptoms of alcohol abuse and diabetes.

Dr. Cunningham said the spleen filters old or unusable red blood cells from the blood stream and if the person has a damaged liver -- by alcoholism or injury -- backed up fluid from a slow liver will cause the spleen to further slow the process.

"You indicated a number of conditions which this patient had, which might lead to bleeding without coagulation,'' Mr. Froomkin asked. "Does hypospleenism worsen the problem of bleeding?'' "Yes, the spleen traps platelets which are essential to the clotting mechanism,'' Dr. Cunningham said.

The doctor also confirmed earlier testimony that Mr. Berkeley's blood platelet count had dropped to 14,000 per millilitre of blood. The normal amount is between 150,000 and 400,000.

Dr. Cunningham said: "Mr. Berkeley had impaired protein production in general, impaired coagulant production in particular, and an anatomical distortion (the broken leg).

"In the laboratory record, a summary of the history given to Dr. James Johnston who performed the autopsy, it gives a history of alcoholism and poorly controlled diabetes, abnormal liver function, less and low platelets which were thought due to hypospleenism, secondary to cirrhosis.'' Terrance Elliott, continuing from his testimony on September 2, admitted he was "misled with faulty information'' by emergency room staff on Mr.

Berkeley's IPCP condition.

He added: "I concluded that the patient didn't require a general surgical assessment.'' When asked by Mr. Froomkin if a chronic alcoholic patient with head trauma should have a CAT scan, Dr. Elliott said: "Not in the absence of neurological symptoms or signs.'' The inquest continues this morning in Magistrates' Court.