
Sathyaprakash Ranganath
University Hospital Wishaw, United KingdomPresentation Title:
Lemierre's like syndrome: Retropharyngeal abscess with internal jugular and cerebral venous thromboses and septic embolization leading to pulmonary embolism and cerebral abscesses complicated by papilledema and residual sixth cranial nerve palsy
Abstract
A male child with a history of sinusitis presented to the emergency medicine department with a high fever, neck swelling, headache, vomiting, and double vision. He was diagnosed with retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) with bilateral internal jugular vein (IJV) and cerebral venous thromboses. The child was treated promptly and transferred to a specialty center, where the abscess was drained. However, he developed papilledema and septic embolism, leading to pulmonary embolism and cerebral abscesses. The child was an inpatient for six weeks and had outpatient treatment for three months. He developed exotropia due to bilateral sixth cranial nerve palsy. This existed even at the 24-month follow-up. This case report highlights the rare complications and morbidity from the retropharyngeal abscess. It also emphasizes the early diagnosis and management options in a busy emergency medicine department.
Biography
Dr. Ranganath has been an emergency medicine consultant at NHS Trusts of Scotland and England since May 2015. He has 20+ years of experience in emergency medicine, having worked in different hospitals around the British Isles and the Caribbean. He trained in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine from the Republic of Ireland (EU). He has experience in other specialties (General Practice, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology). He is a peer-reviewer for BMJ Case Reports and Cureus Medical Journals.