A woman has lived 80 years with needle in her brain

A Russian woman has lived 80 years with a needle in her brain, doctors have discovered.

Health authorities think the woman was victim of failed infanticide by her parents during World War II.

The Guardian reported the needle is 3cm in length and was discovered when the woman was undergoing a CT scan.

In a statement on Wednesday, the local Sakhalin health department said: “Such cases during years of famine were not uncommon.

"Her parents probably decided to put their child to death during the second world war as she had been living with the 3cm-long needle since birth. This method was often used to hide evidence of the crime."

“The needle penetrated her left parietal lobe, but it did not have the intended effect – the girl survived,” the local health department, adding that the patient had never complained of headaches due to the injury and was not in any danger.

“Her condition is being monitored by the attending physician,” it said