2021 Volume 67 Issue 2 Pages 112-117
Lemierre's syndrome is a disorder in which bacterial infection of the head and neck region leads to thrombosis of the internal jugular vein ; left untreated, this condition can also result in metastatic infections in the lungs and joints as well as bacterial sepsis. An early diagnosis and treatment are important for preventing these pathologic outcomes. We herein report the case of a 30-year-old male with internal jugular vein thrombosis secondary to a peritonsillar abscess accompanied by septic emboli in the lung. The criteria proposed by Yamamoto and Sugiura et al. were used to facilitate a rapid diagnosis of his condition prior to obtaining results from blood cultures. While Lemierre's syndrome is a fairly uncommon diagnosis at this time, its incidence has been increasing given the current pressure to limit the use of antibiotics. Antimicrobial use is currently restricted in Japan due to efforts designed to curb the emergence of drug resistance; as such, we may begin to see more cases of this disease. Although rare, some patients with infection of the head and neck region do develop Lemierre's syndrome ; as such, frequent follow-up of all cases of acute pharyngitis is necessary, notably for those patients not treated with antimicrobial agents.
