Lemierre's Syndrome Originated from the Odontogenic Infection: A Case Report

Also called necrobacillosis or postanginal sepsis, Lemierre's syndrome (LS) is an uncommon but potentially lethal complication of odontogenic infection. A 27-year-old male diagnosed with Ludwig's angina was transferred from a local hospital due to continuous fever and chills after incision and drainage under general anesthesia. The swelling of both submental and submandibular area subsided, but the fever and chills persisted. While generalized malaise improved, sepsis developed together with the deterioration of liver function. The chest computed tomography scan revealed multiple cavitations throughout both lungs, which were diagnosed as septic pulmonary embolism. After consulting the department of infectious diseases, the patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics focusing on vancomycin and additional antibiotics. After 3 weeks of treatment, the patient recovered completely. Despite its decreased mortality, dentists are not familiar with LS, and it is difficult to diagnose correctly. In this paper, we report a case and present a review of literature.