An 11-year-old boy in east China had to undergo surgery after inserting 70 magnetic balls into his penis.
The youngster’s parents took him to a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, early Monday morning after he suffered from constant pain and had difficulty urinating.
Doctors successfully removed the tiny magnetic balls during a two-hour operation, according to Chinese media reports.
Dr Tao Chang of the Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said the boy, nicknamed Xiaohua, was reluctant to admit what had happened.
An X-ray scan revealed the Buckyballs, each about five millimetres (0.2 inches) in diameter, bundled together in his bladder after the child had pushed them up via his urinary tract.
“As children mature, it is normal for them to become more curious about their bodies,” Dr Tao told Metropolis Express, adding that it is vital for teachers and parents to communicate with children to help them understand the changes in their bodies.
Eventually, doctors conducted a minimally invasive surgery to extract the balls via the boy’s bladder during an endoscopy.