Screwdriver successfully removed from woman's skull

A screwdriver, which was thrust into a woman's skull allegedly by her husband during a domestic fight, has been successfully removed by a team of doctors here.

After a five-hour long surgery, doctors at a local private hospital removed the screwdriver, which penetrated the woman's brain after being thrust into her nose.

The 35-year-old woman, hailing from Andipatti in Theni district, was drowsy and not able to speak when she was brought to the Madurai Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre some days ago, neurosurgeon D K Selvamuthukumaran said yesterday.

"Two weeks after the surgery, the patient is doing well... she is normal, except that she is unable to speak as of now," he said, adding, she would be discharged soon.

The screwdriver had penetrated the skull base and went up to the left side of the brain, he said.

A large portion of the 22 cm long screwdriver was inside the brain. Small instances of haemorrhage had taken place and were treated by appropriate procedures, said the surgeon, who led the team which conducted the operation.

A bone flap was temporarily removed from the left side of the skull and the screwdriver removed.