July - September 2009, Volume 5, Issue 3

Agarwal N, Kumar R, Lal R

Bladder atony and ileus in a man with myxedema: case report

Acta Endo (Buc) 2009, 5 (3): 407-410
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2009.407

Pseudoobstruction is an uncommon manifestation of hypothyroidism. However,\r\nhypotony of the bladder in myxedema is very rare, and there were only four such cases\r\nreported previously. We present a 45-year-old man with myxedema and ileus, who was\r\nstarted on thyroxine therapy and was detected to have bladder hypotony on the 5th day of\r\nadmission. There was no evidence of bladder outflow obstruction, and both bowel and\r\nurinary symptoms improved with thyroxine therapy. Bladder hypotony may be more\r\nprevalent in patients of hypothyroidism than previously reported; hence, it is important to\r\nhave a high clinical suspicion and perform early urodynamic studies to avoid back-pressure\r\ndamage to the upper tracts.

Keywords: hypothyroidism, myxedema, bladder atony, pseudoobstruction, ileus

Correspondence: Nitin Agarwal, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated hospitals, Delhi, India; Email: drnitinagarwal76@gmail.com