The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach
Introduction Usually, body packers have no complications and current recommendations for such patients advise a conservative approach, waiting for a spontaneous packet’s evacuation with the bowel movement. In case of complications such a packet stuck in the stomach, a surgical approach seems to be...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2013
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/1/The%20missing%20piece.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848846508516966400 |
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| author | Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam Mohamad Saini, Suraini Ab. Hamid, Suzana Fakhrizzaki, Ahmad Afkar Bahari, Norafida |
| author_facet | Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam Mohamad Saini, Suraini Ab. Hamid, Suzana Fakhrizzaki, Ahmad Afkar Bahari, Norafida |
| author_sort | Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Introduction
Usually, body packers have no complications and current recommendations for such patients advise a conservative approach, waiting for a spontaneous packet’s evacuation with the bowel movement. In case of complications such a packet stuck in the stomach, a surgical approach seems to be safer than an endoscopic approach.
Case report
We report on a patient who was arrested by the police for suspected drug mules. A plain abdominal X-ray disclosed drug packets in the digestive tract. After spontaneous elimination of 35 drug packets, the patient had three unremarkable stools. However, a residual packet was noted in the follow-up plain abdominal X-ray. Ultrasonography (US) was done and a residual drug packet was noted in the stomach. This was later confirmed with non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan. As this was not eliminated during the 10 days following ingestion, oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy(OGDS) was attempted but failed. It was finally removed through gastrostomy.
Conclusion
This case illustrated the different radiological features of a methamphetamine drug packet on x-ray, US and CT. It also stressed the importance of good collaboration between radiologist and clinician in the management of body packers. Furthermore, we have illustrated that gastrostomy is a safer approach that OGDS. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:03:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-29832 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:03:50Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-298322016-02-12T04:34:08Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/ The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam Mohamad Saini, Suraini Ab. Hamid, Suzana Fakhrizzaki, Ahmad Afkar Bahari, Norafida Introduction Usually, body packers have no complications and current recommendations for such patients advise a conservative approach, waiting for a spontaneous packet’s evacuation with the bowel movement. In case of complications such a packet stuck in the stomach, a surgical approach seems to be safer than an endoscopic approach. Case report We report on a patient who was arrested by the police for suspected drug mules. A plain abdominal X-ray disclosed drug packets in the digestive tract. After spontaneous elimination of 35 drug packets, the patient had three unremarkable stools. However, a residual packet was noted in the follow-up plain abdominal X-ray. Ultrasonography (US) was done and a residual drug packet was noted in the stomach. This was later confirmed with non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan. As this was not eliminated during the 10 days following ingestion, oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy(OGDS) was attempted but failed. It was finally removed through gastrostomy. Conclusion This case illustrated the different radiological features of a methamphetamine drug packet on x-ray, US and CT. It also stressed the importance of good collaboration between radiologist and clinician in the management of body packers. Furthermore, we have illustrated that gastrostomy is a safer approach that OGDS. Elsevier 2013-04 Article NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/1/The%20missing%20piece.pdf Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam and Mohamad Saini, Suraini and Ab. Hamid, Suzana and Fakhrizzaki, Ahmad Afkar and Bahari, Norafida (2013) The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach. Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging, 1 (2). p. 79. ISSN 2212-4780; ESSN: 2212-4799 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jofri.2013.03.035 10.1016/j.jofri.2013.03.035 |
| spellingShingle | Abdul Rashid, Saiful Nizam Mohamad Saini, Suraini Ab. Hamid, Suzana Fakhrizzaki, Ahmad Afkar Bahari, Norafida The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title | The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title_full | The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title_fullStr | The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title_full_unstemmed | The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title_short | The missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| title_sort | missing piece : radiological and surgical management of a body packer with a methamphetamine packet stuck in the stomach |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29832/1/The%20missing%20piece.pdf |