A nail which has been removed from a man’s kidney, where it had been for 20 years, at the Henan Provincial Coal General Hospital in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan province.

Gao, 41, was sent to hospital for emergency treatment after passing out. CAT scans showed that Gao had a metal object in his left kidney.

Doctors had to remove part of Gao’s left kidney to get rid of the 12cm long, 0.2cm in diameter nail, as the rusty nail has contaminated it.

The nail got into his body 20 years ago when Gao had an accident when he worked as a home decorator.

“A nail flew at me and cut an opening on my belly, he says. “I just simply sterilized the wound and it healed up itself.”

Doctor explained a membrane formed around the nail over time which prevented the nail from penetrating even deeper, but over the years the deeply implanted nail caused Gao to have hydronephrosis and high blood pressure.

Gao is now recovering from the surgery in the hospital.