A Chinese man discovered a toothbrush in his intestine 52 years after swallowing it at age 12.

In a medical case that has stunned both doctors and readers alike, a 64-year-old man from eastern China’s Anhui province discovered that a toothbrush he had accidentally swallowed as a child had remained inside his body for 52 years, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Childhood incident resurfaces

The man, surnamed Yang, had swallowed the toothbrush at the age of 12 but was too frightened to tell his parents. Believing it would dissolve or pass naturally, he kept the matter to himself and experienced no discomfort for many years.

“I thought it would break down in my stomach or somehow disappear,” Yang was quoted as saying.

However, more than fifty years later, he began feeling unusual sensations in his abdomen, prompting him to visit a local hospital. What doctors found next left everyone stunned.

52-Year stowaway

According to SCMP, doctors conducted scans and internal examinations which revealed a foreign object lodged deep in his small intestine. It was identified as a 17-centimetre-long toothbrush —  intact despite being inside the digestive tract for over half a century.

Doctors immediately scheduled an endoscopic procedure to remove the object. The operation, which lasted around 80 minutes, was successful and doctors safely extracted the toothbrush without further complications.

Dr Zhou, one of the physicians involved in the case, said that a toothbrush can rotate and press against the intestinal walls, potentially causing perforation, internal bleeding, and, in severe cases, even death.

Remarkably unharmed

What amazed doctors further was the position of the toothbrush. It had remained relatively stationary over the years, lodged securely in a bend of the small intestine. Its lack of movement may have prevented internal damage or infection, ultimately saving Yang from life-threatening complications.

Hospital officials noted that it was one of the longest objects they had removed from a patient’s digestive tract in recent years.