HomeNewsTrendsLive 12-inch eel removed from Vietnamese man's abdomen after entering through rectum

Live 12-inch eel removed from Vietnamese man's abdomen after entering through rectum

Doctors at the centre believed the eel entered through the man’s rectum and slid through his colon, according to Oddity Central. An ultrasound and an X-ray were performed, that showed a foreign object lodged in his stomach.

March 25, 2024 / 10:16 IST
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live eel
The eel entered through the man's rectum and slid through his colon. (Representative Image)

A Vietnamese man had a live eel surgically removed from his abdomen and doctors believed it slid up his rectum. The discovery was made when the man, 34, complained of severe stomach cramps and went to the Hai Ha District Medical Centre in Quang Ninh Province.

Doctors at the centre believed the eel entered through the man’s rectum and slid through his colon, according to Oddity Central. An ultrasound and an X-ray were performed, that showed a foreign object lodged in his stomach.

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“This is a rare case,” Head of Surgery, Pham Manh Hung. “The rectal area has a lot of fecal fluid and is easily infected with bacteria, but it was performed safely so the surgery did not have any problems.”

Emergency surgery was performed to remove the sea creature which was 12-inch long and found live inside the man's stomach. The eel had caused a life-threatening condition called peritonitis, a condition that causes inflammation of the stomach lining. It also caused intestinal perforation. The eel and some of the damaged tissue were carefully removed surgically.