A six-year-old boy in Shenzhen, China, shocked doctors after a routine hospital scan revealed six magnetic balls lodged inside his nose, where they had reportedly remained for years without causing obvious symptoms.
According to doctors at Shenzhen Longgang ENT Hospital, the discovery was made after the boy, identified only as Tongtong, underwent a CT scan following a forehead injury.
The scan revealed six colourful magnetic balls hidden inside both nostrils — four on the right side and two on the left. The magnets had been pulling towards each other through the nasal septum for years, compressing the surrounding tissue and becoming tightly embedded.
The boy’s parents said they were stunned by the diagnosis as their son had never complained of nasal pain, congestion or a runny nose. The only unusual behaviour they recalled was that he occasionally bit his lips.
They later remembered buying the magnetic balls in 2021, but had no idea when their son had inserted them into his nose.
Doctors said the prolonged presence of the magnets caused excessive granulation tissue to grow around them, while the constant magnetic attraction reduced blood supply to the nasal septum.
Because the magnets were firmly attached to the surrounding tissue, doctors warned that attempting to remove them manually could have caused severe damage. Instead, surgeons successfully extracted all six magnets through a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure.
Dr Cheng Chao, head of the hospital’s paediatric ENT department, explained that while a single magnet in one nostril may only cause minor irritation, magnets lodged on both sides of the nasal septum can continuously squeeze the tissue, cutting off blood circulation.
If left untreated, the condition could lead to cartilage death, a perforated nasal septum, chronic nosebleeds, persistent nasal dryness and breathing problems. Severe cases may even require reconstructive surgery.
Doctors also warned that children with foreign objects in their noses may not always show typical symptoms such as blocked noses or foul-smelling discharge.
Parents are advised to seek medical attention immediately if a child frequently rubs their nose, repeatedly bites their lips, experiences one-sided nasal blockage or has unexplained nosebleeds.
They also urged parents not to use tweezers, cotton buds or forceful nose blowing to remove suspected foreign objects, as doing so could push the object deeper into the airway and create a choking hazard.
