Clogged up? CT discovers odd blockage in Belgian man

After two days of suffering, a 24-year-old man decided it was time to head to the hospital. Physicians performed a CT scan and found a little spherical obstruction that turned out to be an olive.

Published in BMJ Case Reports Aug. 9, this case study puzzled doctors who had to scan a fresh olive so it could be compared to the patient’s CT scan. Turns out, the man’s favorite food was to blame for the blockage. The incident also allowed physicians to diagnose him with Crohn’s disease, which includes frequent inflammation in the digestive tract.

Check out the photos at LiveScience.com:

""
Nicholas Leider, Managing Editor

Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.

Around the web

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.