Imaging Case of the Week 41

This is the supine abdominal x-ray of a 25 year old who is intoxicated and has been complaining of abdominal pain with vomiting. She has presented to your facility with multiple overdose attempts before. What can you see?

supine AXR

click to enlarge

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The abdominal x-ray shows clumped radio-opaque tablets in the stomach. Family members later on found empty packets of iron tablets at home and the patient’s iron levels confirmed an overdose.

Radio opaque ingestion in an overdose can be:

  • Iron containing preparations
  • Potassium chloride
  • Lead
  • Arsenic
  • Mercury
  • Not to forget button batteries and various metal objects.
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