A 29-year-old man in China unknowingly carried a 15-centimetre ceramic spoon inside his body for six months after accidentally swallowing it during a night of heavy drinking in Thailand, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
The man, identified only as Yan, only discovered the object after visiting a doctor in Shanghai in June. He had suspected he might have swallowed a piece of plastic while eating takeaway food — but scans revealed something far more unusual lodged in his duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.
Doctors at Zhongshan Hospital warned that the spoon's position was dangerous. Even a minor shift could have punctured the intestinal wall, causing internal bleeding or serious complications.
A forgotten night in Thailand
Only after the diagnosis did Yan recall a hazy incident during a trip to Thailand in January. He remembered drinking heavily and using a coffee spoon to try and induce vomiting.
The spoon slipped from his hand and went down his throat. He lost consciousness soon after, and upon waking up, dismissed the episode as a dream.
He returned to China and resumed his normal routine, including regular gym workouts, with no major health issues — until the check-up months later revealed the spoon.
A delicate removal
Doctors attempted to extract the spoon using snare forceps, but the tool slipped off due to the object’s smooth surface.
The team, led by Zhou Hongping, head of the hospital’s endoscopy center, then used a more complex method involving two forceps. The spoon was first pulled into the stomach and then successfully removed.
The entire procedure lasted 90 minutes. Yan has since recovered and been discharged from hospital. He told doctors he was relieved the spoon had been discovered before it caused serious harm.
This bizarre case comes weeks after another unusual medical discovery in China — a 64-year-old man was found to have a 17cm toothbrush lodged inside his body for over five decades, after swallowing it as a child.
The man, identified only as Yan, only discovered the object after visiting a doctor in Shanghai in June. He had suspected he might have swallowed a piece of plastic while eating takeaway food — but scans revealed something far more unusual lodged in his duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.
Doctors at Zhongshan Hospital warned that the spoon's position was dangerous. Even a minor shift could have punctured the intestinal wall, causing internal bleeding or serious complications.
A forgotten night in Thailand
Only after the diagnosis did Yan recall a hazy incident during a trip to Thailand in January. He remembered drinking heavily and using a coffee spoon to try and induce vomiting. The spoon slipped from his hand and went down his throat. He lost consciousness soon after, and upon waking up, dismissed the episode as a dream.
He returned to China and resumed his normal routine, including regular gym workouts, with no major health issues — until the check-up months later revealed the spoon.
A delicate removal
Doctors attempted to extract the spoon using snare forceps, but the tool slipped off due to the object’s smooth surface. The team, led by Zhou Hongping, head of the hospital’s endoscopy center, then used a more complex method involving two forceps. The spoon was first pulled into the stomach and then successfully removed.
The entire procedure lasted 90 minutes. Yan has since recovered and been discharged from hospital. He told doctors he was relieved the spoon had been discovered before it caused serious harm.
This bizarre case comes weeks after another unusual medical discovery in China — a 64-year-old man was found to have a 17cm toothbrush lodged inside his body for over five decades, after swallowing it as a child.
