Abstract
The concealment of drugs within the gastrointestinal tract is an uncommon but important finding in overdose related deaths. Postmortem CT are an important tool to discover foreign bodies prior to autopsy. However, discrete radiolucent foreign bodies on post-mortem CT may reflect a variety of items, not always illicit or deadly. We present two cases of discrete objects in the gastrointestinal tract seen on CT. In one case 75 packages of heroin were discovered extending from the stomach to the rectum after an overseas flight. In the other case, gnocchi pasta was found. These cases reflect the usefulness of post-mortem CT as a screening tool to alert the pathologist of the possibility of concealed illicit substances as well as its limitations. We aim to show by contrast these cases highlight the importance of an internal investigation based upon a relevant history and CT scans.
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