Leech enters pensioner’s penis while he was swimming in a pond and leaves him in agony after entering his bladder and sucking out nearly a PINT of blood before doctors remove it
- An elderly Cambodian man was bitten by a leech after going for a swim in a river
- Creature crawled inside his penis and attached itself to the inside of his bladder
- The leech swelled in size after drinking an estimated pint of the man’s blood
- Surgeons had to use a large probe to kill the animal before dragging it back out
Surgeons in Cambodia have removed a leech from inside an elderly man’s bladder after the creature crawled inside his penis while he was swimming.
The man, who has not been named, went to hospital in the capital Phnom Penh on June 22 after suffering pain while trying to urinate.
Doctors inserted a camera through the man’s urethra to find the source of the pain, and were shocked when they found a leech inside him.
An elderly Cambodian man had to have this leech removed from inside his bladder after it swam up his penis and latched on to his organ while he went for a naked swim in a river
The man went to hospital in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on June 22 complaining of pain while urinating, before medics found the leech using a thin camera
After questioning the patient it transpired he had stripped off and gone for a swim in a river earlier in the day.
Medics believe the leech, which would have been small at the time, found its way up the man’s urethra and into his bladder.
There it latched on and drank an estimated pint of his blood, rapidly swelling in size and causing the pain.
Medics were then forced to us a tool called a bipolar resectoscope – a 4mm wide probe with electric nodes and cutting tools at the end of it – to kill the leech.
The swollen creature then had to be dragged back out the same way it went in.
Medics had to use a probe to remove the leech (pictured left, the leech and the probe) which they believe drank a pint of his blood – causing it to swell in size (right, the swollen leech)
Doctors at the city’s Calmette Hospital have warned residents be careful when swimming in ponds during the rainy season, while leeches are active.
In a statement online, it said: ‘The waters are rich with leeches and other insects during the rainy season.
”Consult with the specialists immediately if you are experiencing pain in your body to get it treated correctly.’
The man stayed overnight in hospital where his condition was monitored and he was discharged the next day.