ABSTRACT

Hong Kong Med J 2009;15:53-6 | Number 1, February 2009
MEDICAL PRACTICE
Dilated common bile ducts mimicking choledochal cysts in ketamine abusers
SW Wong, KF Lee, John Wong, Wilson WC Ng, YS Cheung, Paul BS Lai
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
 
 
Substance abuse is a major health and social problem among Hong Kong youth and ketamine is the drug most commonly abused. Ketamine abuse is associated with a series of side-effects that include hallucination, nausea, vomiting, elevation of blood pressure, and urinary bladder dysfunction. Here we report three cases of ketamine abuse in which the abusers presented with recurrent epigastric pain and dilated common bile ducts that mimicked choledochal cysts on imaging. The dilated biliary tree may occur more frequently than was once assumed.
 
Key words: Choledochal cyst; Common bile duct diseases; Dilatation, pathologic; Ketamine; Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction
 
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