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Foreign body ingestion of blister pill pack causing small bowel obstruction

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Abstract

We report a case of foreign body ingestion of a blister pill pack, causing small bowel obstruction. A 76-year-old woman on multiple medications presented with 3 days of progressive abdominal distention, nausea, and vomiting. A computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated small bowel obstruction with a distinctive metallic foreign body in the distal ileum with associated wall thickening and mesenteric inflammatory changes. At exploratory laparotomy, an impacted, intact blister pill pack was removed from the distal ileum. The ingestion of blister pill packs has been associated with a range of clinical and imaging findings. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of CT diagnosis of small bowel obstruction caused by blister pack ingestion. Early recognition of the imaging findings of an ingested blister pill pack is important to expedite appropriate management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Angela W. Tai & Aaron Sodickson

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  1. Angela W. Tai
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  2. Aaron Sodickson
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Correspondence to Angela W. Tai.

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Tai, A.W., Sodickson, A. Foreign body ingestion of blister pill pack causing small bowel obstruction. Emerg Radiol 14, 105–108 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-007-0582-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-007-0582-4

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