A man in Vietnam who had experienced severe headaches for five months was shocked to find out that he had a pair of chopsticks lodged in his skull.
The unnamed 35-year-old patient had reported to the Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi on November 25th after suffering from headaches as well as fluid discharge and fluid loss, The Metro reported.
There, doctors conducted CT scans, which revealed that the man was suffering from tension pneumocephalus, a rare but potentially life-threatening neurological condition defined by a dangerous increase in intracranial pressure.
A subsequent examination revealed the unusual source of the man’s symptoms. He had two chopsticks that had reportedly penetrated up his nose and into his brain.
Dr. Nguyen Van Man, head of the Department of Neurosurgery, dubbed the case “very rare.”
While the man was initially confused over how he ended up with eating utensils in his skull, he recalled that he’d been involved in a fight five months ago while out drinking, in Vietnam, VN reported.
The patient didn’t remember many details from the brawl, only that someone had stabbed him in the face with an unknown object.
However, when he reported to the hospital following the incident, doctors didn’t find any chopsticks or any abnormalities with his nose.
The patient now believes that he’d been stabbed up the nose with the food forceps, which then sat undiscovered in his skull until now.
Thankfully, doctors were able to remove the chopsticks via endoscopic surgery through the nose.
They then used microsurgery to seal the fistula — an abnormal connection between the artery and vein in brain and spinal cord tissue.
The patient is reportedly in stable condition while he awaits discharge from the hospital.
