# Cocaine-Induced Chronic Bowel Ischemia Manifesting As Small Bowel Obstruction

## TL;DR

A young woman developed a rare case of small bowel obstruction due to chronic mesenteric ischemia caused by cocaine use.

## Contribution

This paper presents a rare clinical case linking chronic cocaine use to small bowel obstruction via mesenteric ischemia.

## Key findings

- Cocaine-induced chronic mesenteric ischemia can lead to small bowel obstruction.
- Excessive intestinal wall fibrosis was observed as a result of chronic ischemia in the patient.

## Abstract

Cocaine represents one of the most frequently used recreational drugs worldwide. Cocaine-related disorders mostly affect the nervous and cardiovascular system, although gastrointestinal complications are not negligible and sometimes life-threatening. The most common gastrointestinal manifestations of cocaine abuse are ulceration, infarction, perforation, ischemic enterocolitis, and rarely hemorrhage, with mesenteric ischemia being the underlying pathophysiological mechanism. Herein, we report a rare case of cocaine-induced small bowel obstruction in a young female patient, caused by chronic mesenteric ischemia and excessive intestinal wall fibrosis.