Lemierre's syndrome: a case of postanginal septicemia and bilateral flank abscesses

Lemierre's syndrome is characterized by pharyngeal infections in young healthy adults with secondary septic thrombophlebitis and multiple metastatic infections. In the preantibiotic era, Lemierre's syndrome was common and lethal. With the advent of antibiotics, Lemierre's syndrome has become such a rare entity that the diagnosis is often delayed or missed. With prompt recognition, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and surgical drainage of metastatic abscesses, the majority of patients can be cured. A case of Lemierre's syndrome in a 22-year-old previously healthy man treated on a plastic surgery service is presented. Surgeons who can be consulted for deep space infections should be aware of this disease so that the diagnosis and treatment can be initiated promptly to prevent patients from succumbing to this life-threatening but curable disease.