Woman Swallows Spoon

SYDNEY - A young Australian woman got more than she bargained for during a dinner conversation when she laughed so hard she accidentally swallowed a spoon.

The 26-year-old ingested a teaspoon when she was overcome by the giggles while eating spaghetti, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said.

The 15-centimetre (six-inch) spoon stuck in her throat at the top of her stomach.

Doctors at Canterbury Hospital sedated the woman and removed it "with great difficulty" during a 90-minute operation.