Lemierre’s syndrome with isolated external jugular vein thrombosis caused by Streptococcus intermedius

Abstract

An 85-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis fell due to unsteadiness and visited our emergency room due to head injury. The patient had minor head trauma and lip and oral cavity injuries, and she presented with fever. Laboratory tests showed high inflammatory marker levels. Moreover, there were indicative of urinary tract infection. Thus, the patient was admitted to our hospital. Blood cultures performed upon admission revealed the presence of Streptococcus intermedius, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showed solitary right external jugular vein thrombosis and multiple abscesses in both lungs. Hence, the patient was diagnosed with Lemierre’s syndrome, and antimicrobial agents and anticoagulants were administered. The patient developed left pleurisy due to inflammation caused by lung abscesses, which improved with thoracic drainage. Her condition improved satisfactorily, and she was then discharged. There are only few studies about Lemierre’s syndrome caused by S. intermedius and even lesser cases involving external jugular vein thrombosis. Herein, we report a relatively rare case of Lemierre’s syndrome with isolated external jugular vein thrombosis.

Keywords

• Lemierre’s syndrome
• Streptococcus intermedius
• Septic thrombophlebitis
• Rheumatoid arthritis