A case of the otogenic variant of Lemierre's syndrome with atypical sequelae and a review of pediatric literature

Abstract

We report a case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with the clinical picture of Lemierre's syndrome (LS) secondary to bilateral mastoiditis. She developed unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) along with internal jugular vein (IJV) thrombosis, septic arthritis of her ankle and cervical fasciitis. Combined antimicrobial, anticoagulant and surgical treatment helped reverse all the effects of the sequelae, including nearly all the hearing loss. This is a unique case of this uncommon variant of the syndrome and with an uncommonly reported complication. The literature indicates that pediatric cases are a minority and enforces that successful management rests on awareness of the condition, vigil and promptness of communication of a multidisciplinary pediatric team.