Internal jugular vein thrombosis, Lemierre's syndrome; oropharyngeal infection with antibiotic and anticoagulation therapy--a case report.

The authors present a case of Lemierre's syndrome that is an uncommon septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. A 31-year-old man developed pharyngeal pain one month before hospital admission when he suffered from a severe headache and painful swelling of the left side of his neck. He was diagnosed with tonsillitis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the neck revealed the presence of an occlusive thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein and an inflamed mesopharynx. His symptoms and the jugular vein thrombus showed remarkable improvement after administration of antibiotic and anticoagulation therapy. No pulmonary embolism or other metastatic infection were observed. It was suggested that accurate diagnosis during early treatment is essential to obtain a successful prognosis for Lemierre's syndrome.