Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Oct 18;1(4):365-369.
doi: 10.5811/cpcem.2017.5.33495. eCollection 2017 Nov.

Uterine Body Stuffing Confirmed by Computed Tomography

Michael G Abesamis  1 , Najeeb Taki  2 , Richard Kaplan  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Uterine Body Stuffing Confirmed by Computed Tomography

Michael G Abesamis et al. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. .

Abstract

A 31-year-old woman presented to an emergency department for suspected vaginal "stuffing" of cocaine. Her physical and pelvic exams were unremarkable despite agitation, tachycardia and hypertension. Abdominal radiograph was concerning for foreign body; transabdominal ultrasound was non-diagnostic. A noncontrast abdominal/pelvic computed tomography (CT) revealed a radiopaque mass within the cervix extending into the uterus. Gynecology was consulted, but the patient refused removal and left against medical advice. Radiographs have varied sensitivity for detecting stuffed foreign bodies; CT is more sensitive and specific. This case suggests that CT is suitable to evaluate for this rare event.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the CPC-EM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.

Figures

Image 1
Image 1
Kidney, ureter, bladder radiograph with arrows showing an area concerning for a possible foreign body in the right hemipelvis
Image 2
Image 2
Coronal computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis with arrows revealing a tablet-like, radiopaque mass within the cervix extending into the uterus.
Image 3
Image 3
Axial computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis with arrows revealing a tablet-like, radiopaque mass within the cervix that extends into the uterus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Traub SJ, Hoffman RS, Nelson LS. Body packing -- The internal concealment of illicit drugs. N Engl J Med. 2003;349(26):2519–26. - PubMed
    1. Neves FF, Cupo P, Muglia VF, et al. Body packing by rectal insertion of cocaine packets: a case report. BMC Res Notes. 2013;6:178. - PMC - PubMed
    1. June R, Aks SE, Keys N, et al. Medical outcome of cocaine bodystuffers. J Emerg Med. 2000;18(2):221–4. - PubMed
    1. Kashani J, Ruha AM. Methamphetamine toxicity secondary to intravaginal body stuffing. J Toxico Clin Toxicol. 2004;42(7):987–9. - PubMed
    1. West PL, McKeown NJ, Hendrickson RG. Methamphetamine body stuffers: An observational case series. Ann Emerg Med. 2010;55(2):190–7. - PubMed

Publication types