Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the imaging characteristics and the diagnostic value of both abdominal ultrasound and conventional abdominal x-ray in identifying ingested drug packages in “body packers.”
Materials and Methods
Twelve individuals were studied prospectively by abdominal ultrasound and by abdominal x-ray to rule out incorporated drug containers.
Results
Both abdominal ultrasound and abdominal x-ray correctly identified the 7 of 12 individuals who had ingested multiple drug packages. In 5 of the 12 individuals, ultrasound as well as abdominal x-ray were correctly unremarkable with regard to abdominal foreign bodies.
Conclusions
Abdominal ultrasound and abdominal x-ray both represent valuable diagnostic tools in the assessment of ingested drug packages. Abdominal x-ray is superior to ultrasound in differentiating ingested drug-filled condoms from “pseudocondoms.”
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An editorial commentary on this article follows on p. 339.
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Hierholzer, J., Cordes, M., Tantow, H. et al. Drug smuggling by ingested cocaine-filled packages: conventional x-ray and ultrasound. Abdom Imaging 20, 333–338 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00203366
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00203366