A hospital employee said the medical team discovered the object and contacted the bomb disposal unit, speaking to AFP on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
According to the daily newspaper La Dépêche du Midi, a 24-year-old man arrived at Rangueil Hospital in the south-east of the city on Saturday night, claiming to have inserted an object into his rectum.
In the operating theatre, the regional daily reported, the medical team were required to extract what was described as a collector’s shell measuring nearly 20 centimetres.
Due to concerns about a possible risk of explosion, a bomb disposal team was called to the scene.
In a statement, the Haute-Garonne fire brigade said it had been dispatched at the request of police to provide fire protection during the operation, adding without further detail that an explosive device had been neutralised in the emergency room.
When contacted by AFP, a fire brigade spokesperson said there was no further information to share about the operation.
The management of Toulouse University Hospital said it would not be commenting on the matter.
