Shocking medical scans

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but some of the images on this list might leave you speechless.

Medical imaging scans like an X-ray, CT scan or ultrasound can tell doctors what's wrong with a patient, and in the case of many of these scans, doctors were given a clear picture of odd objects patients ingested or were impaled by. With X-rays generously provided by Dr. Tim B. Hunter, professor of radiology at the University of Arizona, and others pulled from the headlines, here are 21 shocking X-rays and imaging scans.

Pictured here is a person who appeared to shove a pen into his head.

Credit: Dr. Tim B Hunter