Acute appendicitis complicated by concomitant thyroid storm.

Mohseni, Michael M; Graham, Charles

We report a case of thyroid storm with concomitant acute appendicitis. The patient had clinical findings concerning for an acute abdomen. However, this physical examination finding can occur in some individuals presenting with severe thyrotoxicosis or thyroid storm without an underlying surgical process. In this case, the patient received aggressive treatment perioperatively for her thyroid storm and required continued treatment for her thyroid state after appendectomy. Differentiating medical vs surgical causes for an acute abdomen while simultaneously recognizing the thyrotoxic state is imperative in such a scenario. Clinicians must proceed cautiously to optimize patients' thyroid status before any operative interventions to minimize risks of cardiovascular collapse or death.