Postoperative Lemierre's syndrome: a previously unreported complication of transoral surgery. Illustrative case.

backgroundLemierre's syndrome is a rare but potentially life-threatening clinical condition characterized by bacteremia and thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein, usually secondary to oropharyngeal infection and often caused by OBSERVATIONS: The authors describe a case of Lemierre's syndrome that occurred after transoral surgery. The patient underwent a combined surgical approach from above (transoral) and below (anterolateral transcervical) to the upper cervical spine for the resection of a large anterior osteophyte causing dysphagia, globus sensation, and dysphonia. Three weeks after the surgical procedure, she developed fever and severe neck pain. LESSONS: The aim of this paper is to consider Lemierre's syndrome as a possible complication after the transoral approach, underlining the importance of its early diagnosis and with a suggestion to perform cranial and cervical spine CT or MRI venous angiography in patients who undergo surgery with a transoral approach and exhibit local or systemic signs of infection such as neck pain, persistent fever, and positive blood culture results.