Narcotic smuggling and radiography of the gastrointestinal tract.
The gastrointestinal tract is being used to an increasing extent as a route for smuggling narcotics. Small, swallowed packages overwrapped with condoms or other materials are usually not detected by the customs authorities. Conventional abdominal radiography may indicate foreign bodies surrounded by a characteristic thin layer of gas and located in the gastrointestinal tract. Some short case histories, and the radiologic findings in four heroin 'body packers' are presented.
D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003415:Crime; D004064:Digestive System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012007:Rectum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries