Abstract

ABSTRACTThyrotoxicosis may present with a hyperkinetic cllinical picture typically associated with Graves or Plumers disease, or in an apathetic form characterized by lethargy, weakness, and withdrawal. Both the hyperkientic and apathetic forms of thyrotoxicosis may be associated with or masked by predominantly extrathyroidal manifestations, occasionally referable primarily to the abdomen. We present two cases of apathetic thyrotoxicosis that suggested the need for urgent surgical intervention, and review the literature an apathetic thyrotoxicosis as an abdominal emergency, as well as laboratory studies and possible etiology.