Detection of ingested cocaine-filled packets--diagnostic value of unenhanced CT.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_D7F50B60014E
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Detection of ingested cocaine-filled packets--diagnostic value of unenhanced CT.
Journal
European Journal of Radiology
Author(s)
Schmidt S., Hugli O., Rizzo E., Lepori D., Gudinchet F., Yersin B., Schnyder P., Meuwly J.Y.
ISSN
0720-048X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2008
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
67
Number
1
Pages
133-138
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Abstract
PURPOSE: Emergency departments are facing nowadays an increasing number of illegal drug-related health problems, associated with medicolegal and/or social consequences. Body stuffers are street cocaine dealers, who either store wrapped packets of drugs in their rectum or hastily swallow them, prompted by fear of police's arrest. These packets can be life threatening in case of leakage. We evaluate the diagnostic value of unenhanced multidetector CT (MDCT) for detection of cocaine-filled packets (CFP) ingested by body stuffers in a phantom model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our phantom simulated normal bowel contents in which a varying number of true and false CFP were randomly mixed. Both only differ in radiological density. During 18 different reading sessions, four radiologists independently evaluated the presence and number of true and false CFP. Interobserver agreement, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were calculated. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement for detection of any packets, for visualization of true, and false CFP was good (kappa=0.63, 0.74 and 0.58, respectively). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for detection of any packets was 95.6%, 100%, 100% and 62.5%, respectively; for visualization of the true CFP 86.5%, 100%, 100% and 77.6%, respectively; and for the false packets 98.1%, 65%, 88.6% and 87.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Unenhanced MDCT without bowel preparation is a fast, reliable and easily reproducible imaging modality for the immediate detection of ingested CFP, thus facilitating medicolegal management of body stuffers.
Keywords
Cocaine, Foreign Bodies, Humans, Intestines, Phantoms, Imaging, Reproducibility of Results, Sensitivity and Specificity, Substance Abuse Detection, Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
29/01/2008 8:41
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:57
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