A 62-year-old Chinese woman has undergone surgery to remove a bullet that had been lodged in her skull for 48 years without her knowledge.

The woman, identified by her surname Zhao, went to doctors after suffering from a chronic stuffy nose, headaches and swollen lymph nodes.

Doctors at the First Hospital of China Medical University, in northeastern China's Liaoning province, discovered a metal object inside her nose.

A bullet 2.5cm long and 0.5cm in diameter was then removed from her nose after surgery.

Doctor who operated on Zhao did not cut her nose and upper lip to take out the bullet, but instead used a minimally invasive procedure.

It was only after the surgery that Zhao realised that what she thought was a small stone that struck her right temple when she was 14 years old was actually a stray bullet, 'Want China Times' reported.

"I am happy that the bullet did not kill me, I am grateful to it for allowing me to live and have the opportunity of my life with my family," Zhao said.

Doctors believe Zhao survived because the bullet turned and eventually lodged in her nose and avoided damaging the brain.