Am J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg | Volume 3, Issue 3 | Case Report | Open Access

An Unusual Presentation of Lemierre's Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Chan JKC, Mamun Rashid*, Karagama YG and Bhalla RK

Objective: We report a rare case of septic arthritis with subsequent diagnosis of Lemierre’s syndrome. Methods: Case report and review of the literature concerning the presentation and management of Lemierre’s syndrome. Case Report: A 17-year-old boy presented with shoulder and chest pain proceeded with a three-week history of sore throat. CT demonstrated septic arthritis of his right shoulder, a right 3 cm × 6 cm parapharyngeal abscess extending from the base of the skull to the thoracic inlet, complicated by right internal jugular vein and subclavian vein thrombosis and multiple lung emboli. Blood culture isolated Fusobacterium necrophorum. Conclusion: There is universal recognition in the literature of the association between the presentation of sore throat and Lemierre’s syndrome. This case illustrates that a seemingly disparate diagnosis of septic arthritis can also be a consequence of this life-threatening disease. We also highlight the importance of multidisciplinary management and the therapeutic challenges that can face the otolaryngologist.

*Correspondance to: Mamun Rashid 

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Abstract

Objective: We report a rare case of septic arthritis with subsequent diagnosis of Lemierre’s syndrome. Methods: Case report and review of the literature concerning the presentation and management of Lemierre’s syndrome. Case Report: A 17-year-old boy presented with shoulder and chest pain proceeded with a three-week history of sore throat. CT demonstrated septic arthritis of his right shoulder, a right 3 cm × 6 cm parapharyngeal abscess extending from the base of the skull to the thoracic inlet, complicated by right internal jugular vein and subclavian vein thrombosis and multiple lung emboli. Blood culture isolated Fusobacterium necrophorum. Conclusion: There is universal recognition in the literature of the association between the presentation of sore throat and Lemierre’s syndrome. This case illustrates that a seemingly disparate diagnosis of septic arthritis can also be a consequence of this life-threatening disease. We also highlight the importance of multidisciplinary management and the therapeutic challenges that can face the otolaryngologist.

Keywords:

Lemierre’s syndrome; Septic arthritis; Fusobacterium

Citation:

Chan JKC, Rashid M, Karagama YG, Bhalla RK. An Unusual Presentation of Lemierre's Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Am J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;3(3):1093.

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