Snapshot!

Sand and deliver!

This 15-month-old boy from Taranaki, New Zealand, has advanced the field of radiology with his innovative use of the region's volcanic black iron sand. He was admitted to hospital with vomiting and "unusual" (black, paste-like and gritty) bowel motions. His family revealed that he had been at the beach the previous day and had been seen to be eating sand. Inspection of the vomitus and faeces revealed sand, and as more was passed he developed a perianal friction burn. The hemivertebra shown on his abdominal x-ray was a coincidental finding, but the remarkable contrast effect makes us wonder if, in these cost-conscious times, Taranaki sand might not be a cheaper alternative to barium!

The boy made a full recovery.

Alan Parsons and Paul Heaton
Consultant Paediatricians, Taranaki Base Hospital
New Plymouth, New Zealand

©MJA 1998
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