Graves' Disease Complicated by Cardiac Tamponade in Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Abstract

Thyrotoxicosis and its associated complications pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge with heightened complexities in pregnant patients. Although Graves' disease is an established but infrequent cause of pericarditis, cardiac tamponade has been documented in association with hyperthyroidism only in case reports. We present the case of a 23-year-old patient with Graves' disease, leading to recurrent thyrotoxicosis and pericarditis. She presented in her second trimester of pregnancy with cardiac tamponade requiring emergent pericardiocentesis and interval thyroidectomy. This case highlights the rarity of cardiac tamponade and Graves' disease during pregnancy. Although medication management is first line in the treatment of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy, surgical management should not be delayed if the benefits to maternal and fetal health are deemed to outweigh the risks.