The role of ultrasound in the visualization of the ingested medications in acute poisoning – a literature review

F. Taftachi, H. Sanaei-Zadeh, N. Zamani, M. Emamhadi

Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. h-sanaiezadeh@tums.ac.ir

 

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• Forensic Medicine

In the patients with medication poisoning, diagnosis and treatment may be complicated due to the decreased level of consciousness or lack of the patient cooperation. In this review, we tried to assess the role of ultrasonography in detection of the ingested medication in the stomach of the patients with suspected medication poisoning. Of the studies performed in this regard, only one managed to determine the extended phenytoin capsules in the stomach of a poisoned patient.

In actual acute poisoning – even in the hands of an experienced ultrasonographer – detection of the medications in the patients’ stomach seems to be difficult due to the presence of the food or lack of the water in their stomach. Also, after dissolution of the tablets or capsules or their passage from the pylorus, they can not further been visualized by ultrasound.

We, therefore, conclude that ultrasonography is not an appropriate tool for diagnosis of the medication ingestion in acute poisoning.

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