Binh Phu General Hospital said on November 7 that its doctors had recently treated the unusual case after the woman sought medical attention for a persistent foul smell and pain around the bridge of her nose.
The patient fro Binh Phu Ward underwent a clinical examination and a CT scan of her nasal cavity and sinuses.
The scan revealed a radiopaque object in the middle nasal meatus, while a subsequent endoscopic examination confirmed the presence of a plastic foreign body.
Only then did the woman recall undergoing treatment for a nasal and sinus condition two decades earlier, during which a doctor had inserted a device into her nose. She was immediately admitted to hospital for its removal.
The object was identified as part of a Dana intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD), an older type made of soft plastic with a distinctive fir-tree-like, pyramidal structure. The device is no longer in use.
Having remained in place for more than two decades, it had become attached to the surrounding nasal mucosa, causing infection, foul-smelling discharge and discomfort.
As the patient also had hypertension and diabetes, doctors prescribed appropriate antibiotics and intensive nasal and sinus irrigation following the removal.
Her symptoms, including the unpleasant smell and nasal pain, improved significantly after treatment.
Accoriding to Dr Nguyen Ngoc Vinh of Binh Phu General Hospital, contraceptive devices were once inserted into the nose to treat atrophic rhinitis by narrowing the nasal cavity and relieving symptoms.
The procedure was intended to narrow the nasal cavity and relieve symptoms such as a sensation of nasal obstruction despite an open airway, nasal dryness and crusting.
Dr Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Vice President of the Vietnam Audiology Association, said atrophic rhinitis had become less common thanks to medical advances
As a result, the practice of surgically inserting contraceptive devices into the nose has been discontinued.
Vinh advised patients with nasal symptoms lasting more than three weeks, including loss of smell, foul odours, discharge or pain, to seek specialist medical attention.