Lemierre's syndrome with fourth nerve palsy

Multiple Cranial Nerve Palsies in a Pediatric Case of Lemierre's Syndrome due to Streptococcus viridans

Background

Lemierre's syndrome is a rare condition of internal jugular vein thrombosis following oropharyngeal infection. While it usually results from Fusobacterium necrophorum infection, atypical cases associated with other pathogens have been reported.

Objective

To describe a unique case of pediatric Lemierre's syndrome with Streptococcus viridans infection resulting in cavernous sinus thrombosis and oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerve palsies. Case Report. A 14-year-old female initially presented after six days of fever, myalgias, and sore throat and was admitted for hyperbilirubinemia and acute kidney injury. She developed a fixed, dilated pupil with complete ophthalmoplegia, ptosis, and severe pain. Imaging revealed retromandibular space abscess, external and internal jugular vein thrombosis, cavernous sinus thrombosis, internal carotid artery stenosis, pulmonary embolism, and bilateral pneumonia. She was diagnosed with Lemierre's syndrome with cultures positive for Streptococcus viridans and treated with a combination of antibiotics and anticoagulation. Conclusion and Relevance. Both antibiotics and anticoagulation were effective management for this Lemierre's syndrome patient with cavernous sinus thrombosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of Lemierre's syndrome is essential. A multidisciplinary treatment team is beneficial for managing the sequelae of this condition.

Pediatric Patient with Lemierre Syndrome of the External Jugular Vein: Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction  Lemierre syndrome (LS) involving the external jugular vein (EJV) is rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Objectives  To report a case of LS involving the external jugular vein as well as to make a review of the literature regarding both diagnosis and management strategies. Data Synthesis  We describe a case of LS involving the EJV and review the literature of previously published articles to search for additional cases. A PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of science-based search was performed to determine the scope of coverage in well-reported articles in English. Twenty-one papers were retrieved and documented for age, incidence, pathogen, presenting symptoms, imaging, treatment, and outcome, which were noted for each of these cases. In our literature review of 21 papers, there were 16 patients (61%) in their 2nd and 3rd decades of life. Lemierre syndrome was shown to affect females and males equally. The presenting symptoms were a sore throat and fever. Treatment requires intravenous antibiotics, and there is no consensus regarding treatment with anticoagulation. Conclusions  The present case report and review of the literature emphasize the importance of history taking as well as physical examination in what seems to be a case of simple tonsillitis.

A Systematic Review of Lemierre's Syndrome With a Focus on Ophthalmologic Complications

Lemierre's syndrome (LS), once known as "the forgotten disease," is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that has had a gain in incidence over the last 30 years due to a variety of factors that could include changes in antibody prescription patterns, particularly in regard to the treatment of pharyngitis/tonsillitis. Due to its low incidence and broad spectrum of symptoms, LS does not have an obvious clinical diagnosis and can confuse the clinician managing the patient. Furthermore, it is equally difficult to treat patients suffering from LS as it requires a multidisciplinary approach from multiple subspecialties. Thus, communication between hospitalists, radiologists, otolaryngologists, neurologists, and ophthalmologists is critical towards quickly diagnosing the disease condition so that prompt antibiotics, anticoagulation, and surgical intervention can occur. Atypical presentations can also exist, making the diagnosis and management exponentially more challenging. Ophthalmologic symptoms are a particularly rare and atypical presentation of LS. These rare symptoms in LS can be terrifying for patients and providers alike; yet, there does not seem to be any modern medical literature that summarizes ophthalmologic complications for LS patients. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of LS with a focus on ophthalmologic complications that has been done. The main objective of this review paper is to provide an up-to-date literature review of LS epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment while also performing a novel systematic review of reported cases of LS with ophthalmological complications. We hope to bring more awareness towards LS and its atypical presentations so that physicians will be better able to rapidly diagnose and treat their patients in order to minimize long-term morbidity and mortality.

Bilateral papilledema and abducens nerve palsy following cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to Gradenigo's syndrome in a pediatric patient

Purpose

To report a case of bilateral papilledema and abducens nerve palsy following cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a 9-year-old female with undiagnosed Gradenigo's Syndrome.

Observations

The patient presented to our Emergency Room with a unilateral left 6th nerve palsy, left eye relative afferent pupillary defect, and bilateral papilledema. She underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium contrast and magnetic resonance venography, which diagnosed a left mastoiditis, left sigmoid sinus and jugular vein thrombosis. The patient underwent urgent mastoidectomy and myringotomy with tube placement and was admitted for adequate treatment with intravenous antibiotics and anticoagulants.

Conclusions and importance

Gradenigo's syndrome is a rare complication of otitis media, and even rarer is cerebral venous thrombosis. This potentially life-threatening situation requires immediate surgical and antibiotic therapy. Ocular symptoms can be the initial signs of this illness.

Isolated abducens nerve palsy secondary to Lemierre syndrome

Lemierre syndrome is characterized by pharyngotonsillitis that is typically secondary to Fusobacterium necrophorum infection and causes adjacent septic thrombophlebitis and thrombosis with subsequent metastatic abscesses. A 3-year-old boy presented with fever, tonsillar enlargement, and bilateral otomastoiditis with purulent discharge. Physical examination revealed abducens nerve palsy on the left side, with a compensatory left head turn. Otomastoid discharge culture was positive for anaerobic F. necrophorum. Magnetic resonance venography of the head and neck revealed thromboses in left internal jugular vein, left cavernous sinus, left superior ophthalmic vein, and left sigmoid sinus. The patient was treated with anticoagulation and a 10-week course of intravenous antibiotics, including ceftriaxone and metronidazole.