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Heroin body packing: clearly discerning drug packets using CT
Rui-Meng Yang1, Long Li, Jie Feng
1Imaging Centre, Nanfang Hospital, The Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Southern Medical Journal
|April 18, 2009
Summary
Computed tomography (CT) effectively identifies heroin body packing, a smuggling method. CT scans reveal characteristic signs like the "air-ring sign" and "onion sign," making it the preferred imaging technique for suspected cases.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Forensic Imaging
- Abdominal Imaging
Background:
- Heroin body packing is a method of drug smuggling.
- Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used to detect internal drug smuggling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the efficacy of CT in diagnosing heroin body packing.
- To evaluate CT's role in screening suspected body packers.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 158 suspected drug packer cases (September 2005 - April 2008).
- Abdominal-pelvic CT and plain x-ray imaging were reviewed.
- Imaging findings (shape, size, density, location) were correlated with confirmed cases.
Main Results:
- CT accurately diagnosed 124 out of 158 suspected heroin body packers.
- Plain x-ray had 2 false-negative cases.
- Characteristic CT findings included uniform shape, varied density, well-defined intra-luminal shadows, "air-ring sign", and "onion sign".
Conclusions:
- Heroin body packing exhibits distinct diagnostic features on CT.
- Conventional abdominal-pelvic CT is the optimal imaging modality for evaluating suspected body packers.
