Lemierre syndrome (LS) is now relatively rare, and clinicians and radiologists in current practice may be unfamiliar with it. It presents as acute bacterial pharyngitis or oropharyngeal infections that spread to the deep cervical tissues and eventually result in intemal jugular thrombophlebitis and septic embolization. Fusobacterium necrophorum is the most common etiological agent. Since the advent of antimicrobial therapy, its classical characteristics have changed to incomplete forms. Today, blood culture or computed tomography may be the first diagnostic clue, not clinical observation. The use of β- lactamase- resistant antibiotic formulations for 3 to 6 weeks and the drainage of abscesses have been advocated. In general, the prognosis for full recovery is good in patients given prompt and appropriate therapy.Although most LS patients are healthy adolescents and young adults, we present one 4-year-old pediatric patient with incomplete Lemierre syndrome and provide a review of current literature.
Lemierre syndrome (LS) 是現在比較少見的疾病，以至臨床醫師和放射科醫生可能對其較不熟悉。LS是因為急性咽炎或口咽部細菌感染蔓延至頸部深組織，並最終導致內頸靜脈血詮性靜脈炎或控塞。壞死梭形菌Fusobacterium necrophorum是最常見的病原體。因為抗生素的使用，使得臨床表現出現incomplete Lemierre syndrome的情形。今日，也許血液細菌培養及電腦斷層掃描的結果而非病患臨床的觀察會是診斷Lemierre syndrome的第一個線索。結合積極的抗生素治療是治療Lemierre syndrome至關重要的方式。治療使用β-lactamase-resistant的抗生素製約3至6週，並建議做膿腫引流。在一般情況下，給予及時和適當的治療後病患可完全治癒且預後良好。雖然大多數患者是健康的青少年和年輕成年人，在此個案報告中，我們提出一個4歲incomplete Lemierre syndrome的兒科病患，並做了一些目前文獻的探討。
