Presentation
Abdominal pain. No history of recent diagnostic barium studies.
Patient Data
Age: 75 years
Gender: Female
From the case:
Radiopaque bismuth within the colon (Pepto-Bismol®)
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Radiopaque material is seen in the right side of the colon on plain film.
From the case:
Radiopaque bismuth within the colon (Pepto-Bismol®)
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Radiopaque material is seen in the right side of the colon on CT. The enlarged right kidney and dilated collecting system was a result of bleeding from an elevated INR = 27.
Case Discussion
The patient had been drinking copious amounts of Pepto-Bismol® for her abdominal pains. The active ingredient of Pepto-Bismol is bismuth subsalicylate.
Bismuth is a white, crystalline metal with a pinkish tinge. Its atomic number is quite high (83), and it is in the same row of the periodic table as barium and lead, hence its radiopaque properties.
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