Representatives from Bac Ninh General Hospital No. 1 announced on 4/9 that their team successfully removed a foreign object from a patient's digestive tract. A colonoscopy revealed a 20 cm cucumber lodged horizontally in the sigmoid colon, the section of the large intestine connected to the rectum.

After assessing the damage, the medical team used specialized endoscopic equipment to fully extract the cucumber through the anus, preserving the intestinal lining. The teenager remains hospitalized for close monitoring of his health.

The 20 cm cucumber was removed. *Photo: Hospital provided*

Doctors warned that large, deeply lodged foreign objects can trigger continuous anal sphincter spasms, obstructing urination and defecation. This condition poses a direct threat to life if not discovered promptly. Attempting to remove such objects at home using hands or hard tools increases the risk of mucosal tears, bowel perforation, and fecal leakage into the abdominal cavity, leading to peritonitis (inflammation of the membrane lining abdominal organs), sepsis, and damage to adjacent organs like the bladder.

Doctor Ha Huy Hung, Deputy Head of the Functional Exploration Department, advised parents who discover a child with a foreign object lodged in the anal region to immediately seek medical attention at the nearest facility. He stressed the importance of never attempting self-removal at home, as this could push the object deeper or cause severe damage to the digestive tract.

Thuy Quynh