Pulmonary Septic Emboli Secondary to Parapharyngeal Abscess: Postanginal Sepsis

Abstract

Postanginal sepsis is the term used to describe a life-threatening infectious process which begins as a sore throat and spreads locally and hematogenously to involve multiple organ systems. Lack of familiarity with its complex clinical manifestations can lead to serious delays in its diagnosis. The radiologist should consider the diagnosis in a patient with radiographic findings suggestive of septic pulmonary emboli, particularly if the patient is not an i.v. drug abuser. Important anatomical, bacteriological and clinical aspects are reviewed and an approach for confirming the diagnosis radiographically is discussed, based on experience with 2 recent [human] cases.