Abstract
Background: In the last 10 years, gastric bypass has become an increasingly common operation performed by general surgeons. The complications resulting from this procedure can be life-threatening and are often difficult to diagnose, particularly in the immediate postoperative period. We detail a case of thyrotoxicosis manifesting on postoperative day 1 which presented with symptoms mimicking an anastomotic leak. The patient underwent a negative laparoscopy before the thyroid dysfunction was diagnosed. There is no evidence that bariatric surgery carries a greater risk of postoperative thyrotoxicosis than any other non-thyroid operation. Many of the symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, however, are similar to those of other surgery-related complications, and it should be immediately considered in the differential diagnosis of a postoperative bariatric patient with tachycardia and fever. Failure to rule out this condition may lead to unnecessary surgery.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 883-885 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Obesity Surgery |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2005 |
Keywords
- Bariatric surgery
- Gastric bypass
- Laparoscopy
- Morbid obesity
- Surgical complication
- Thyroid function
- Thyrotoxicosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Nutrition and Dietetics