Diagnosis of opium swallowed in body packers with CT scan: determination hounsfield unit of the packets

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is the report of our experience in diagnosis of the opium body packers with CT scan. For 12 cases that confessed to opium packet ingestion, we did abdominal and pelvic CT scan without contrast and evaluated the presence, number and location of opium packets and also measured the density of packets in Hounsfield unit [HU]. Mean age of our cases was 28.2 +/- 5.9 years [ranging 17-35 years]. Eleven [91.6%] of patients were male and only one case was female. In all patients, the packets were visualized in gastrointestinal [GI] lumen by CT scan. The mean of minimum HU was 163.8 +/- 19.6 and the mean of maximum HU was 205.3 +/- 32.8. We had mortality in an eighteen years old female due to opium overdose. CT scan could be a suitable imaging modality in identifying opium packets similar that reported for cocaine and heroin