Doctors Discover Needle Inside Woman's Brain After 46 Year Mystery

   

A Mother who complained of headaches most of her life is to have surgery to remove a needle from her brain.

Liu Kao, 48, always thought the pains – which often came during the cooler months of the year – were related to her heart.
But years of tests revealed nothing unusual.

Liu would ironically describe the pain to her family as "like being pricked with a needle".
Liu checked into hospital when the headaches became more frequent and suffered worrying numbness down in half her body.
But routine check-ups showed once again that everything was in working order.

It was only when doctors ordered a brain scan they found the root of her abnormal tingling.
The cause of the problem showed itself in the form of a 4.6 centimetre needle.

The needle is standing straight up in the left hemisphere of Liu’s brain and will require surgery to remove part of the skill for it to be removed.
Xiaozhang – Liu’s daughter – said: "My mother and I were both puzzled by the needle. We have no idea how it got there, but it seems to be what is causing her headaches.

"Mother has no recollection of the needle being inserted in her head, but doctors said it must have happened before she was 18 months old, when her skull was still soft and flexible as a child."
The doctors’ conclusion means the needle has been with Liu for at least 46 years.
Xiaozhang added: "Mother asked the family elders about the needles, but it was so long ago that none of them remember anything about it.
"The operation has its risks, but doctors said she could suffer more severe symptoms or even seizures in the future, so we’ve decided to risk it and have the surgery."