title: Mesenteric ischemia secondary to cocaine abuse: case reports and literature review.
abstract: In summary, we report two cases of mesenteric ischemia following cocaine abuse in young women. In such cases it is always difficult to prove a direct causal relationship between the abuse of cocaine and mesenteric ischemia. Both our patients were relatively young (in their thirties) and did not have any history of atherosclerosis, and their urine toxicity screens were positive for the use of cocaine. Cocaine-related hospital visits are on the increase. Mesenteric ischemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis when evaluating a young patient with a history of cocaine abuse presenting with an acute abdomen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Sudhakar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Hakeem
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: MacArthur
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Sumpio
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000098:blood supply; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000098:blood supply; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine