Bubble Tea Pearls Mimic Ingested Objects on CT
Doctors at a Springfield, Illinois, emergency department traced dense spots on an 11-year-old's scan to tapioca pearls in her drink.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Children’s Health
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Doctors evaluated an 11-year-old girl in Springfield, Illinois, whose CT scan showed several bright, dense spots in her stomach after eight hours of lower right abdominal pain. The spots were attributed to tapioca pearls from bubble tea she had drunk that evening, and her symptoms resolved by the next morning.
Why it matters
The case shows how tapioca pearls can appear on CT and be mistaken for swallowed objects or overdosed pills, which can prompt unnecessary concern and testing. Clinicians are reminded to consider the patient's recent food and drink when reading unexpected imaging findings.
This is a single-patient case report, and the imaging comparison rests on two earlier published cases from Taiwan in 2017 and China in 2019. The report does not quantify how often tapioca pearls produce this appearance, and it does not address whether other patients would show the same findings.
The players
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
A public medical school in Springfield, Illinois, whose physicians authored the case report on the bubble tea pearl findings.
The details
Doctors performed a CT scan with contrast because MRI was unavailable, and the scan did not show appendicitis. A radiologist raised the possibility of swallowed objects or overdosed pills, so the toxicology screen was expanded, and those results were negative or normal. The girl denied swallowing pills or objects, and the doctors attributed the spots to tapioca pearls in the bubble tea she drank while shopping that evening.
Timeline
2017: A Taiwan report described pearl-like spots in an 18-year-old after a traffic accident.
2019: Chinese news reports described a 14-year-old's CT showing pearl-like shadows.
Oct. 21, 2025: The Illinois team's case report was published in Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine.
That evening: The girl drank bubble tea while shopping, before her emergency department visit.
The next morning: Her symptoms resolved and she was discharged with instructions to follow up with her primary care doctor.
Health Landscape
The Illinois case builds on a 2017 Taiwan report of pearl-like CT spots in an 18-year-old, and a 2019 Chinese report of about 100 spherical shadows in a 14-year-old. Together these earlier reports form a small body of published cases linking bubble tea pearls to imaging findings that can mimic ingested objects.
Parents and clinicians should note that bubble tea pearls can appear as dense spots on CT and may prompt questions about swallowed objects. If a child presents with abdominal pain after drinking bubble tea, reviewing the recent diet can help prevent unnecessary alarm and testing.
The takeaway
When a child's imaging shows unexpected objects, recent food and drink are worth asking about before assuming ingestion. In this case the answer was a bubble tea, and the symptoms cleared without treatment.
Further reading
For more on young patients and emergency care, explore our Children’s Health coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Medical Daily.
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