RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ketamine bladder syndrome: an important differential diagnosis when assessing a patient with persistent lower urinary tract symptoms
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr2012006447
DO 10.1136/bcr-2012-006447
VO 2012
A1 Shalom Srirangam
A1 Joe Mercer
YR 2012
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr-2012-006447.abstract
AB The recreational use of ketamine is increasing in popularity due to its dissociative and paralytic effects, ease of availability and low cost. However, serious and frequently irreversible damage to the urinary tract is a recently recognised side effect of recreational ketamine use. The authors present a case of a young male patient with a 2-year history of troublesome lower urinary tract symptoms and a 5-year history of ketamine consumption. Medical management of such patients is largely limited to analgesia alone, and cessation of ketamine use before irreversible damage occurs remains the best means of avoiding the radical reconstructive surgery required in end-stage disease. This case and an accompanying review of the available literature illustrate the importance of early recognition of ketamine bladder syndrome in recreational users.