Lemierre Syndrome

An overlooked diagnosis in otherwise healthy patients

Abstract

Lemierre syndrome is a severe complication of an ENT infection, resulting in septic thrombophlebitis, bacteriemia and septic emboli, most often in young and previously healthy patients. We present a case report of a young female patient, that develops an episode of syncope and multiorganic dysfunction, two days after the diagnosis of acute tonsillopharyngitis treated with intramuscular penicillin and anti-inflammatory drugs. Due to the worsening of the clinical status, a CT scan was made and the radiological findings were consistent with Lemierre syndrome. The continuous worsening of the respiratory and cardiovascular dysfunction eventually led to intensive care unit admission with ECMO support. Although Lemierre Syndrome is nowadays a rare entity, it is potentially life-threatening, reason why it should be recognized as soon as possible. Owing to its unspecific clinical presentation, high grade of suspicion and, often, imagiological evaluation is needed to establish the diagnosis.