Doctors in Russia’s Far East found that an elderly woman had been living with an inch-long needle lodged in her brain for 80 years. The unexpected revelation was made during a routine CT scan.
Medical professionals believe that this was an unfortunate result of a botched infanticide by her parents during World War II. The local health department in Sakhalin explained that such instances were not rare during the wartime years of famine. Parents, due to overwhelming poverty and food scarcity across the Soviet Union, often resorted to desperate measures.
The inserted needle, meant to be a covert method of committing the act, was found in the woman’s left parietal lobe. Astonishingly, it did not result in the intended outcome, and the woman survived. The health department reported that she has never suffered from headaches because of the needle, nor is her life currently at risk.
Given the potential complications and risks associated with removing the needle, doctors have decided against surgical intervention. Instead, her condition will continue to be monitored by her physician.