Rare case of man having two chopsticks stuck deep in his nose for a whole year without knowing

(Dan Tri) - A man slipped and fell while drunk, then suffered for a year without knowing there was a "foreign object" in his nose.

On July 2, a representative of the Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital (HCMC) said that recently, doctors here had treated and freed a man from his long suffering.

A year earlier, Mr. Bui Van C. (40 years old, living in Lam Dong province) slipped and fell while drunk. After the accident, the patient suffered from nasal congestion, persistent right-sided runny nose, and occasional severe pain in the right side of the face. The patient bought medicine to take but it did not improve. A medical examination revealed a foreign body in the right nasal sinus.

At the ENT Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, through taking the patient's medical history and examining him, the doctor suspected that the patient had a foreign object in the right nasal cavity, so he ordered a CT scan and endoscopy. The results showed two long foreign objects from the right nasal cavity penetrating the inner wall, behind the right maxillary sinus, and the pterygoid muscle area - right skull base.

Nasal endoscopy image shows the patient has a foreign object penetrating the inferior turbinate in the right nasal cavity.

Doctor examines patient (Photo: Hospital).

The patient was diagnosed with a foreign object left in the nasal cavity and underwent the necessary tests for surgery. The team led by specialist Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Deputy Head of the Rhinosinusology Department, performed endoscopic surgery to remove the foreign object, which was two 5-6cm long chopsticks, from the patient's nose.

After the intervention, the man continued to receive medical treatment to prevent infection.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, CT scan plays a role in helping to diagnose foreign objects as well as decide on the surgical path.

When surgically removing foreign objects, care must be taken to avoid leaving any behind and possibly damaging nearby structures. If left for a long time, foreign objects can cause surrounding inflammation, vision loss, and life-threatening sepsis.

Foreign object after being removed from the patient's nose (Photo: Hospital).

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Vinh, Deputy Director of the hospital, noted that if after a facial injury, the patient has one of the following symptoms: facial swelling, blurred vision, double vision, prolonged wound pus discharge, foul-smelling nasal discharge, prolonged nosebleeds, etc., they should go to the hospital immediately.

People should not be subjective with prolonged symptoms, even if they are not painful. In particular, the symptom of a runny nose with a foul odor on one side is a sign suggesting a foreign object in the nose.

When a foreign object is identified as being left for a long time, early treatment is necessary to avoid complications.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/hy-huu-nguoi-dan-ong-bi-2-chiec-dua-cam-sau-vao-mui-ca-nam-ma-khong-biet-20250702085848373.htm