Propofol and diabetes insipidus

•An acute case of diabetes insipidus presented after the intraoperative administration of propofol.•The patient had two procedures two days apart. Diabetes insipidus presented during the first procedure.•After the propofol infusion was begun, the urine output increased dramatically.•The patient exhibited other signs of diabetes insipidus, ie, increasing sodium concentration and low urinary osmolality.•Thirty minutes after the propofol infusion was stopped, the urine stream decreased to a discontinuous drip, then finally an occasional drip.•Diabetes insipidus causes abundant production and excretion of dilute urine, often with a concomitant increase in serum osmolality.•Diabetes insipidus may result in severe derangement of plasma electrolytes and osmolality, occasionally leading to death.

A case in which the intraoperative administration of propofol was strongly associated with an acute episode of diabetes insipidus is presented.