Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Lemierre syndrome is a rare condition characterized by a septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein with septicemia and metastatic foci of infection. It typically occurs as the result of an infection in the head and neck, most commonly pharyngitis. For reasons that are unclear, the incidence of Lemierre syndrome has been increasing over the past 15 years. Diagnosis of Lemierre syndrome is often delayed, and identification of internal jugular vein thrombosis is often the first indicator of its presence. We report a case of Lemierre syndrome associated with a laryngeal carcinoma.