A rib was recently identified in the neck of a woman from China's eastern Zhejiang province. It is a rare case even on worldwide scale, Zhejiang Online reported Friday.

The rib was found by a doctor when the woman, surnamed Liu, went to the hospital complaining of pains in her neck, which persisted even after previous treatments.

The bone identified in Liu's body is called a "cervical rib," and is also known as a "neck rib." Cervical ribs are estimated to be present in less than 1 percent of the population. Ninety percent of those patients do not have any symptoms.

Liu’s symptoms may be the most severe in the world since they almost led to necrosis of Liu's arm, according to the doctor.

Liu underwent surgery to have the rib taken out of her body. She is currently still in the hospital. It takes about a week to recover.