A man in Can Tho City had to go to hospital after a severe stomach ache brought to light a surgical needle that had been left inside his body for 15 years.

The patient suffered from constant stomach ache

The 52 year-old man was admitted to Can Tho City General Hospital at 1am on April 25, suffering from a severe stomach ache. After carrying out X-ray tests and CT scans, the doctors found a surgical needle inside the man's abdomen.

Dr. La Van Phu said they tried to use magnet to determine the exact location of the needle but yielded no positive result. "We had to use a C-Arm machine to find out where the needle was," he said.

After a two-hour operation, the needle was successfully removed.

The needle successfully removed after 15 years

According to the man's family, he had an operation 15 years ago to treat appendicitis. After that, he often had stomach ache and a year later, he went under another operation because of bowel obstruction. Despite the second operation, he still had stomach ache. He went to various doctors but no one knew why.

In 2014, he was transferred to a hospital in HCM City after a severe stomach ache and the needle was discovered. However, the doctors said it was really difficult to remove the needle so he had no choice but to live with it.

Doctors at Can Tho City General Hospital said he could be discharged in a few days.