TY - THES ID - 138475031 TI - Body packing, body stuffing, and body pushing: a review on the complications and detection methods. AU - Galouchka, Michaël AU - Van de Voorde, Wim AU - Van Den Bogaert, Wouter AU - KU Leuven. Faculteit Geneeskunde. Opleiding Master in de geneeskunde (Leuven) PY - 2020 PB - Leuven KU Leuven. Faculteit Geneeskunde DB - UniCat UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:138475031 AB - Introduction: It is estimated that in 2017 271 million people have used illicit drugs. While the majority of these drugs is transported through naval shipments, land/train routes and air traffic, a significant amount is transported through body packing, body stuffing and body pushing. The involved drug smuggler will be exposed to great risks with the possibility of a mortal outcome. Methods: A comprehensive research of the literature has been performed on the 5th of January 2020 in order to identify the relevant articles. The following databases were used: Pubmed and Embase. The articles were subjected to critical evaluation on three different levels: title, abstract and full text. Results: The complications associated with these practices are various and can be split into two general groups: mechanical complications due to the mass-effect of packages and chemical complications when a package ruptures. Detecting internally concealed drug packets can be done using different radiological methods. While abdominal radiograph is the most widely used diagnostic method, low dose CT has a clear advantage in sensitivity and specificity. Ultrasound and MRI show to be promising alternatives for imaging with ionizing radiation. Discussion: Internal concealment of illicit drugs is not an everyday event for most physicians. However, considering the increasing prevalence, it remains important for all physicians to consider body packing, body stuffing or body pushing when confronted with a patient showing signs of acute overdose or other symptoms suggesting internal concealment. ER -