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Case Reports
. 2020 Sep 30;2020(9):rjaa335.
doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjaa335. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users

Daniel Kakish  1 , Marwan Alaoudi  1 , Brian Welch  1 , David Fan  1 , Melissa Meghpara  1 , Nageswara Mandava  1 , Narendra Kumthekar  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users

Daniel Kakish et al. J Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

Intussusception occurs when one portion of bowel 'telescopes' into another due to a lead point created by a range of benign or pathologic process. Intussusception mostly occurs in children. Although adult intussusception (AI) is rare, accounting for <5% of intestinal obstructions, it is more concerning in adults as malignancy accounts for nearly 65% of lead points in AI. Patients present with severe abdominal pain concerning for an acute abdomen along with a degree of bowel obstruction. We have experienced a total of 11 patients within recent years presenting with symptoms of an acute abdomen due to AI. None of these patients were found to have a pathologic process creating a lead point. However, we found that all of them were marijuana users. In this report, we compare their management, hospital course and review of the literature discussing proposed mechanisms that suggest an association between cannabis and intussusception.

Keywords: Small bowel obstruction; camabinoid; cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome; intussusception; marijuana.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A 24-year-old female with CT scan with target sign in mid-right abdomen suggesting JJ intussusception
Figure 2
Figure 2
A 30-year-old male with CT scan with target sign in left upper quadrant suggesting JJ intussusception
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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