The elusive slug: Bullet intestinal "embolism"

Bullet retrieval from the body of a gunshot victim is one of many tasks in post-mortem forensic examination. Rarely, it is complicated by the migration of the missile away from the entry point by vessel embolism. Abdominal firearm injuries, in which the bullet enters the intestines and moves inside the lumen away from the point of penetration, are even less common. We present a case of postmortem recovery of a bullet from the intestines of a gunshot victim who died 18 days after being shot in the trunk by three low velocity bullets. A missile had moved within the colon during hospitalization and postmortem handling of the body and was recovered from the sigmoid colon. This case demonstrates an extremely rare type of bullet "embolism" and emphasizes the usefulness of CT scanning in the location of projectiles.