Man Has 3-Foot-Long Phone Cord Surgically Removed From Penis

A man in Dalian, China, had a 3-foot-long phone cord surgically removed from his urethra, according to reports.

The unidentified man, said to be in his 60’s, reportedly inserted the cord into his urethra to relieve severe itching caused by prostatitis, which is inflammation of the prostate.

However, the object became knotted up in his bladder and caused bleeding when he tried to remove it. He was rushed to the Dalian Municipal Central Hospital Affiliated Of Dalian Medical University on March 30 for medical attention, according to a report cited by Singapore-based the Straits Times.

Dr. Gao Zhanfeng, a urologist at the facility, performed an x-ray on the patient and located the object.

"The knot gets tighter when the patient tried to pull it out. This causes bleeding in the bladder," said Gao. "However, when he tried to pull it out, he could not."

Reporters at the hospital asked the man if he sterilized the cable before he inserted it.

"I just roughly washed it under running water," he replied.

The doctor reportedly used a laser to sever the cord, removing it in several sections. Gao said the patient was fortunate and that if he used an item that was harder than the cord, it would have likely caused severe damage to his organs.

"This time he used a phone cable, which is relatively soft. If he had used something metallic, he could have cut his bladder," said Gao.

The man had prostatitis, a condition that causes the prostate gland to become inflamed. The prostate gland is a tiny organ located between the penis and the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.

Symptoms of prostatitis include painful or difficult urination, pain in the groin, pelvic area or genitals, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is a disease that affects men in the 50’s or younger, typically caused by a bacterial infection. The condition usually clears up with antibiotics.