78-year-old Velammal had the screw removed by doctors at Velammal Medical College and Research Institute here yesterday and is now breathing normally.
Her relatives had some time back tried to remove the nose ring and in the process the screw went inside the nose and got stuck in the lung.
Dr Prem Ananth, consultant pulmonologist and bronchoscopist, who led the team, said an X-ray revealed the presence of the screw in the lower left lung. As her condition deterioated, they decided to remove it by bronchoscope, as the process of removing it by aspiration was complicated.
Vellamal was now breathing normally, he said, adding this technique had saved her from undergoing a major thoracic surgery.