The Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital in Quang Binh Province, central Vietnam recently performed successful surgery to address a fistula connecting the nasal cavity to the intracranial cavity in a patient, who had two halves of chopsticks embedded deep into the skull for five months.

The hospital on Friday announced that P.V.T., a 35-year-old resident of Bo Trach District in Quang Binh, was brought in by family members, presenting complaints of headaches, loss of vision, and significant discharge from the nose and throat.

Prior to seeking medical attention, T. experienced discomfort in his nasal cavity earlier this month, prompting him to use tweezers to extract two halves of chopsticks, each about 10 centimeters long, from his nasal cavity.

As per the patient’s account, the two halves of chopsticks pierced his nose five months ago during an altercation while he was out drinking. 

At that time, T.’s family rushed him to the Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital for emergency treatment, where doctors identified two long foreign objects penetrating from the nasal cavity into his skull. 

An image shows a patient's skull with chopsticks lodged in the nasal cavity for five months. Photo: Nguyen Van Man / Tuoi Tre

Despite the initial findings, T.’s family requested a transfer to another medical facility.

Doctors at the second facility were unable to detect the foreign objects and subsequently discharged T. after a 10-day observation period.

During T.’s second visit to the Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital, a CT scan revealed intracranial pneumothorax. 

“The fistula is situated in the middle of the skull base, an area with numerous blood vessels and nerves,” Doctor Nguyen Van Man, head of the neurosurgery department at the hospital, explained. 

“Due to the difficulty and potential danger of open surgery, we opted for endoscopic surgery combined with closed microsurgery to address the cranial fistula, ensuring no lasting effects for the patient.”

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