Abstract
An 18-year-old girl was sent to the emergency department due to a traffic accident. A non-contrasted computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen found a focal liver laceration and multiple pearl-like lesions in the stomach and the duodenum. When pearl-like lesions with heterodensities were found in a CT of the abdomen, the bubble tea should be considered as a possible etiology.
Keywords: bubble tea, computed tomography, trauma
Introduction
Using computed tomography (CT) to evaluate traumatic patients is a practical measure in the emergency department (ED). Here we report an accidental finding of CT in a patient with abdominal trauma.
Case Report
An 18-year-old girl was sent to the ED due to a traffi c accident. A non-contrasted CT of the abdomen confi rmed a focal liver laceration. The CT also found multiple pearl-like lesions with heterodensities in the stomach and the duodenum (Figure 1). Those pearl-like lesions were around 100 to 140 Hounsfi eld units and 6 to 8 millimeter in diameter. The patient had neither stomachache nor coffee ground vomitus. Tracing back the history, the patient drank a cup of “bubble tea” three hours before the traffic accident.
Figure 1. A non-contrasted computed tomography (coronal view) of the abdomen showing a focal liver laceration (black arrow) and multiple pearl-like lesions with heterodensities in the stomach and the duodenum (white arrow).
Discussion
To our knowledge, the image of bubble tea in computed tomographic scans had never been reported in literatures. The bubble tea, also known as “pearl milk tea” or “boba milk tea,” was originated in Taiwan and is getting popular worldwide. The “pearl,” usually 5 to 10 millimeter in diameter, contains much starch made from tapioca with water and sugar for agummy consistency [1,2]. The bubble tea can be prepared with versatile flavors and served cold, hot, sweetened, with cream, or plain [2]. A regular cup of bubble tea could have dozens of black tapioca pearls that sink to the bottom.
Conclusion
When pearl-like lesions with heterodensities were found in a non-contrasted CT of the abdomen, the bubble tea should be considered as a possible etiology.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
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