Life threatening complication of sore throat: Lemierre's syndrome.

The authors report a case of previously healthy toddler who presented with acute sore throat that led to bacteremia, septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, encephalopathy and pleural effusion. Magnetic resonance imaging and venogram showed thrombosis of the internal jugular vein. He was successfully treated with antibiotics and low molecular weight heparin. The authors review the literature and explore the presentation, management and the role of anticoagulation in this condition. To the authors' knowledge, this is one of the youngest patient reports with this condition in the literature.