Pulmonary embolism and internal jugular vein thrombosis as evocative clues of Lemierre’s syndrome: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Lemierre’s syndrome (LS) is an uncommon condition with oropharyngeal infections, internal jugular vein thrombosis, and systemic metastatic septic embolization as the main features. Fusobacterium species, a group of strictly anaerobic Gram negative rod shaped bacteria, are advocated to be the main pathogen involved. We report a case of LS complicated by pulmonary embolism and pulmonary septic emboli that mimicked a neoplastic lung condition. A Medline search revealed 173 case reports of LS associated with internal jugular vein thrombosis that documented the type of microorganism. Data confirmed high prevalence in young males with Gram negative infections (83.2%). Pulmonary embolism was reported in 8.7% of cases mainly described in subjects with Gram positive infections (OR = 9.786; 95%CI: 2.577-37.168, P = 0.001), independently of age and gender. Only four fatal cases were reported. LS is an uncommon condition that could be complicated by pulmonary embolism, especially in subjects with Gram positive infections.

Keywords: Lemierre’s syndrome; Pulmonary embolism; Fusobacterium species; Internal jugular vein thrombosis; Systemic septic embolization

Core tip: We report a case of Lemierre’s syndrome (LS) complicated by pulmonary embolism (PE) that mimicked a neoplastic lung condition. The case was related to previously reported cases in Medline that documented the type of microorganism. We associated PE with LS due to Gram positive infections.