An elderly woman in Russia has lived her whole life with a 3 cm long needle in her brain, doctors discovered during a CT scan.
Doctors believe that the 80-year-old's parents had tried to kill her before she was even 1 year old. The specialists decided not to remove the needle for fear of worsening her condition.
In a statement, the health department in Russia's Sakhalin region said: "Such cases during the famine years were not uncommon."
Her parents probably decided to kill their child during World War II. The needle murder method has often been used to hide evidence of crime.
Food shortages were widespread throughout the Soviet Union during the war, and many people lived in poverty.
"The needle penetrated the left parietal lobe but did not have the intended effect - the girl survived," the local health department said, adding that the patient had never complained of headaches.
Her condition is being monitored by doctors.
