Scissors 'left in man's stomach' after 1998 operation removed

A Vietnamese patient has had a pair of scissors removed from his stomach - 18 years after they were seemingly left there by surgeons.

Ma Van Nhat, now 54, underwent surgery in 1998 following a car accident.

But only recently did he discover that doctors had left a pair of scissors in his stomach once they finished the operation.

Nearly two decades later, Mr Nhat reported stomach pains and underwent an ultrasound, where medics discovered the six-inch-long utensil.

Mr Nhat only suffered abdominal pain from the scissors recently Credit: AP

He subsequently underwent a three-hour operation to remove the scissors, according to Ngo Trung Thang, from Gang Thep Thai Nguyen hospital, almost 50 miles north of Hanoi.

"He is recovering well," Thang said.

Until recently, Mr Nhat had spent 18 years "eating, drinking and having a pretty normal life."

Officials said they were searching for the doctors who performed surgery in Bac Kan province in 1998, but have not yet tracked down any culprits.