2nd Pediatric Infectious Disease training course
2007
2nd Pediatric Infectious Disease training course
2007
CASE ROUND 2
Prof. A. Gervaix
Clinical case
Arturo, 4 years old boy Fever > 39.0 0 C for 7 days He complains of neck pain, dysphagia, photophobia, confusion and decreased activities. No episode of vomiting
Recent past history An acute otitis media (left side) was diagnosed one week before by his GP and treated with homeopathy
Clinical case Physical examination Diminished general condition, apathic, dehydrated (5%)
ENT: Eardrums not seen (cerumen +++). Hyperhemic throat, symetric enlarged tonsils, no deviation of the uvula, small adenopathies under the mandible
CVS: HR 140 beats/min, BP 118/69 mmHg, CRT 34 sec
NCS: Nucal stiffness, positive Brudzinski sign, normal tonus, no asymetry
Clinical case Differential diagnosis: ?
Meningitis
Sepsis Mastoïditis Retropharyngeal abscess …
Clinical case Laboratory tests ?
WBC count: Hb 106 g/l Platelets 89 G/l Leukos 12.5 G/l
neutro: 58% bands: 26%
CRP: 146 mg/l
Lumbar puncture: aspect of CSF clear WBC 1/mm 3 protein 0.17 g/l Glucose 4.3 mmol/l gram stain negative
Blood and CSF cultures: pending
Clinical case What else ?
CTSCAN (head and neck): ü Thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein from the sigmoïd sinus junction (on 1.5 cm),
ü Bilateral filling of the mastoid cells and of maxillary sinuses
ü Bilateral otitis media ü Left tonsillar abscess
CTscan
L L
AngioMRI
Clinical case Management and treatment ?
• Antibiotics (Coamoxiclav. IV)
• Heparine
• Bilateral paracentesis and tympanostomy tube placement
Blood culture grew ?
Fusobacterium Fusobacterium necrophorum necrophorum
Lemierre’s syndrome
Clinical case On day 2 Arthuro presented with a respiratory distress requiring oxygen supplementation
Multiple foci of pulmonary condensation compatible with septic emboli.
Wellknown complication of the Lemierre’s syndrome (97%)
Cardiac ultrasound: normal
Clinical case
Afebrile 9 days after initiation of antibiotics (Amoxicilline + clindamycin)
Blood culture kept positive for 4 consecutive days
Returned home at day 13 with i.v antibiotics for one more week then switched to oral clindamycin for 3 more weeks (total duration 6 weeks)
LMWH treatment for 3 months
Day 0 ….2 months later
Clinical case
Lemierre’s syndrome
•Pharyngitis with tonsil involvement( or other ENT infection)
•Suppurative thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein
•Positive blood culture for Fusobacterium necrophorum
•Septic embolisation
“The appearance and repetition several days sorethroat...of severe pyrexial attacks with an initial rigor, or still more certainly the occurrence of pulmonary infarcts and arthritic manifestations, constitute a syndrome so characteristic that mistake is almost impossible.”
Lemierre A. On certain septicemias due to anaerobic organisms. Lancet 1936; 1:701703.
“Be not deceived by a comparatively innocent appearing pharynx, as the veins of the pharynx may be carrying the death sentence for your patient.”
Hall C. Sepsis following pharyngeal infections. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1939; 48:905 925.