Commentary on false negative findings of plain radiographs in body packing

Abstract

The use of terms “body packing” and “body pushing”, both encompassed in the idiomatic expression “body packing”, is still misunderstood by clinicians. “Body packing” is a general term used to indicate the internal transportation of drug packages within the gastrointestinal tract; while “Body pushing” refers to the insertion of drugs in anatomical cavities or body orifices, such as the anus, the vagina, and the ears.With the present paper, we would like to analyze and clarify some issues concerning the confounding definitions of body packing and the main reasons why some drug packages may be undetected at plain abdominal radiography, providing important false negative findings, as in the case commented.