Boy, 11, impales scrotum with 5cm-long stick in freak accident

The stick pierced his genitalia and missed his testicles by millimeters.

An 11-year-old boy from Makassar, Indonesia nearly had his testicles impaled by a 5cm-long stick after he fell from a tree.

The freak accident reportedly happened while he was climbing a two-metre trunk and he lost his footing. He landed on a branch that pierced his genitalia and missed his testicles by millimeters. X-ray photos showed the stick had penetrated the bottom left of his scrotum and went through his pubic bone.

The unidentified patient had to have a four-hour surgery to remove the stick after doctors scanned the area to make sure his testicles were not damaged. They used a small plastic pipe called a Penrose drain to remove any excess fluid. The boy was then given antibiotics and a tetanus shot to prevent an infection. He has since made a full recovery.

The incident happened a month ago, but was recently discussed by medical experts because of the sensitivity of the situation. It could have led to life-threatening injuries had the stick plunged deeper and hit vital organs.

Jonathan Glass, a consultant urological surgeon and member of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the boy was lucky as the stick could have penetrated the urethra, the testis, or the penis.

"This young boy was fortunate in that the foreign body did not pierce any vital structures. Penetrating injury to the scrotum and perineum is fortunately rare," he told the Daily Mail.

"Other structures at risk, had the object passed within the abdomen would be the bladder, the small and large bowel, and major arteries and veins. All of these injuries could have had life-long consequences for this patient," he added.

Injuries to the scrotum are rare albeit potentially life-threatening. Others have also gone through the same accident in the past. 21-year-old athlete Zach McWhorter also had to have 18 stitches after he completed his pole vault in Provo, Utah and the pole hit his scrotum. Likewise, a 22-year-old builder from Huzhou in eastern China suffered a gruesome accident while at work when he fell nearly 13 feet onto the rebar. The metal pipe went up to his backside and nearly punctured his heart.