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Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England logoLink to Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England
. 2004 Jan;86(1):47–50. doi: 10.1308/003588404772614713

Abdominal complications from crack cocaine.

Y C Chan 1, R A M Camprodon 1, P A Kane 1, D M Scott-Coombes 1
PMCID: PMC1964017  PMID: 15005948

Abstract

Not only is cocaine a powerfully addictive and dangerous drug of abuse, the use of the purified cocaine derivative crack has also reached epidemic proportions. Apart from causing fatal cardiorespiratory complications, crack cocaine is capable of producing surgical emergencies, which may or may not be associated with the pharmacology of cocaine itself. This is a report of crack-induced pneumoperitoneum, the mechanism of which seemed to be related to the prolonged Valsalva manoeuvre during crack smoking. Other differential diagnoses of crack related pneumoperitoneum are also discussed.

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