The most practical diagnostic imaging for detecting body packers during the drug trafficking: Ultrasonography

Abstract Introduction Body packing is one of the most common methods used in the transboundary trafficking of illicit drugs. These drugs are packaged in capsules and taken orally or inserted into the rectum or vagina. Its diagnosis is, therefore, difficult. Methods like x‐ray, ultrasonography, and c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical ultrasound 2023-11, Vol.51 (9), p.1562-1567
Main Authors: Altuğ, Ertuğrul, Çakir, Adem, Şener, Kemal, Nadar, Mustafa Oğulcan, Güven, Ramazan, Şahin, Aynur
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computed tomography
Drugs
Emergency medical care
Emergency medical services
Medical imaging
Packages
Packaging
Statistical analysis
Ultrasonic imaging
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Introduction Body packing is one of the most common methods used in the transboundary trafficking of illicit drugs. These drugs are packaged in capsules and taken orally or inserted into the rectum or vagina. Its diagnosis is, therefore, difficult. Methods like x‐ray, ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT) are usually used to diagnose body packers. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic power and feasibility of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool in patients who have a suspicion of being body packers. Methods This study is designed as a prospective and single‐centered case‐control study in the emergency department of a training and research hospital. Cases admitted to the emergency department with suspicion of being a body packer were included in the study. The data obtained was recorded on the study form. p  
ISSN:0091-2751
1097-0096
DOI:10.1002/jcu.23569