This article contains descriptions of a surgical procedure and medical details some readers may find disturbing.
SONGKHLA — 2 July 2026, Doctors at Hatyai Hospital have removed a large stone-like mass from a 47-year-old woman who had suffered chronic pelvic pain for three years, in an unusual case the patient linked to a ritual she said she underwent in Indonesia years earlier.
Dr. Sunthorn Srisuwan, an associate professor of orthopaedics at Hatyai Hospital in Songkhla province, shared details of the case on his Facebook page under the title “Sorcery vs. Medical Science and Nursing Science at Hatyai Regional Hospital.”
The patient had experienced chronic lower abdominal pain for three years, along with pelvic pressure while urinating and abnormal vaginal discharge. She initially sought treatment at a provincial hospital before undergoing a computed tomography (CT) scan for further investigation.
The scan revealed a foreign object measuring approximately 10 to 12 centimetres inside her vaginal canal. The irregularly shaped mass contained a horseshoe-like internal structure, prompting doctors to refer her to Hatyai Hospital.
A gynaecological oncology team led by Dr. Khosit Tantinam and Dr. Atcharawadee Poolsawat examined the patient and found that the mass was extremely hard, resembling stone. They then consulted the orthopaedic department to determine the safest way to remove it.
Inside the operating theatre, doctors initially planned to chip away at the mass and remove it through the vaginal canal. However, after assessing its size, shape and hardness, they concluded that approach would be impossible and could leave fragments behind. After discussions between the teams, doctors decided that a laparotomy, or abdominal surgery, would provide a much safer approach.
During the operation, the gynaecology team performed a hysterectomy, partially opened the vaginal canal and carefully dissected dense scar tissue through both the vaginal route and the retroperitoneal space behind the abdominal cavity. Because the area is surrounded by the bowel, ureters and other vital organs, the procedure carried significant risks.
The orthopaedic team used specialised instruments to separate scar tissue from the stone-like mass from below, while the gynaecologists created space from above by clearing adhesions within the pelvic cavity. Working together, the multidisciplinary team eventually succeeded in removing the object intact.
Dr. Sunthorn said freeing the mass proved exceptionally difficult. As it was finally about to come loose, members of the surgical team jokingly asked permission from “the unseen” before continuing. Moments later, the object was successfully extracted.
According to the patient, she had lived in Indonesia several years ago and underwent what she described as a ritual performed by a spiritual practitioner, during which an object was allegedly inserted into her vaginal canal. Because the event occurred many years ago, she said she could no longer remember exactly how the ritual was carried out.
After removing the mass, surgeons opened it because CT imaging had shown multiple dense, round objects inside. When the hardened outer shell was broken apart, doctors found foul-smelling mud-like material and fluid that filled the operating room with a powerful odour.
Further examination revealed green and red acrylic-like spheres measuring about three centimetres in diameter, along with 11 multicoloured beads measuring roughly five millimetres each.
The medical team stressed that it could not determine how the alleged ritual had been performed or explain how the contents had developed into a putrid mud-and-fluid mixture while the outer layer hardened into a stone-like shell.
Dr. Sunthorn said removing the mass intact proved to be the correct decision, as breaking it apart inside the body could have released foul material and foreign debris into the pelvic cavity, greatly increasing the risk of post-operative infection.
According to information cited by Dr. Sunthorn from Manop Janthanaphan, the object’s appearance was consistent with items believed by some practitioners of Indonesian occult traditions to be associated with so-called love-charm rituals, including the reported use of cemetery soil and coloured beads.
However, the medical team said it could not independently verify those claims or establish any scientific connection between the patient’s account and the object removed during surgery.