title: Incidental discovery of radiopaque pills on abdominal CT in a patient with abdominal pain.
abstract: We present a case in which a young female ingested several tablets of an over-the-counter cough and cold remedy over the course of a week. Pill fragments were identifiable and incidentally discovered when a CT scan of the abdomen was performed to evaluate the cause of her abdominal pain. Discovery of radiopaque pills on diagnostic imaging studies warrants further history and appropriate testing to rule out a life-threatening ingestion.
authors.affiliation: Grand Rapids MERC/Michigan State University Program in Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. bryan.judge@spectrum-health.org
authors.forename: Bryan S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Judge
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hoyle
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D013270:Stomach / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013607:Tablets; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D013607:Tablets