Mercury thermometer stayed in a woman's body for eight years. An incredible story in Ukraine
The woman sought medical attention complaining of lower abdominal pain.
In Lviv, urologists removed a mercury thermometer from the body of a 42-year-old woman. The patient had lived with it for eight years. The unusual find was reported by the hospital of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, writes BBC — Ukraine.
The woman sought medical attention complaining of lower abdominal pain and frequent urges to urinate.
"During an ultrasound examination, we saw a formation in the bladder resembling a large stone with a core inside," explained urologist Vasyl Matviyiv.
During this time, the thermometer became encrusted with stone
To accurately determine what it was, the woman was referred for a computed tomography scan.
"It was the CT scan that gave the precise answer: there was a mercury thermometer in the bladder, which over the years had become completely encrusted with stone," the doctor said.
In a comment to BBC — Ukraine, a hospital representative clarified that this was the first such case in the clinic's history.
How a mercury thermometer stayed in the woman's body for so many years and didn't break — "is a mystery to us," the hospital said.
Due to the stone, a pressure ulcer of the bladder wall formed, leading to the creation of a vesicovaginal fistula. Because of this, doctors say, the patient awaits another operation — after the wound heals and the infectious process stops, the woman will have the fistula that formed in her bladder removed.
The hospital published a tomographic image showing the thermometer's location
It is possible that this is not the last operation awaiting the woman. Recovery will be prolonged, the hospital says.
How exactly the thermometer got inside the woman — the hospital is not disclosing. They clarified that the patient is from the Lviv region and, for privacy reasons, chose not to reveal the cause of the condition.
For the same reasons, the hospital refused to disclose how exactly a thermometer might get inside in such cases.
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