Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users

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.