Scissors removed from man's stomach 18 years after surgical team accidentally left them in there

They've been in his abdomen since 1998

A pair of scissors has been removed from the stomach of a Vietnamese man, 18 years after they were left inside him during an operation.

The 15-centimetre-long surgical scissors, by now rusty and broken, were successfully extracted from 54 year-old Ma Van Nhat at Bac Kan General Hospital on Saturday.

Nhat had a traffic accident in 1998, after which he required surgery at the same hospital in northern Vietnam.

Having recently experienced frequent sharp pains, Nhat had his stomach x-rayed and the film showed the scissors lying in his abdomen.

Before Saturday's operation he stood in front of the hospital displaying the scar from his original operation and the X-ray film showing the scissors.

He is now said to be steadily recovering.

Additional reporting by AP.