The critical role of epiglottis in airway narrowing contributing to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) intolerance has recently been revealed. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate available surgical treatment options for epiglottic collapse in adult patients with OSA. The Pubmed and Scopus databases were searched for relevant articles up to and including March 2022 and sixteen studies were selected. Overall, six different surgical techniques were described, including partial epiglottectomy, epiglottis stiffening operation, glossoepiglottopexy, supraglottoplasty, transoral robotic surgery, maxillomandibular advancement and hypoglossal nerve stimulation. All surgical methods were reported to be safe and effective in managing selected OSA patients with airway narrowing at the level of epiglottis. The surgical management of epiglottic collapse can improve OSA severity or even cure OSA, but can also improve CPAP compliance. The selection of the appropriate surgical technique should be part of an individualised, patient-specific therapeutic approach. However, there are not enough data to make definitive conclusions and additional high-quality studies are required.

Background Lingual edema is usually the result of infectious etiology, angioedema, and less commonly of traumatic etiology. As for the therapeutic approach, the first priority excluding airway compromise or ensuring airway safety. Antibiotic treatment should be administered for tongue swelling of inflammatory etiology while standard therapy with epinephrine, steroids, and antihistamines is recommended for cases of anaphylaxis. In addition, in case of injury causing lingual edema, one of the treatment options is surgical intervention. Aim of work The aim of our work is to present a rare and simultaneously instructive case of traumatic hemorrhagic edema of the tongue, leading to airway obstruction. Case presentation We report a case of hemorrhagic traumatic lingual edema, initially without symptoms of upper airway obstruction on admission. However, immediate intervention and airway securing was necessary due to rapid growth of the edema. Then, as long as patient was hemodynamically stable and airway patency was ensured, the diagnosis of iatrogenic tongue hematoma was confirmed. The challenge was to decide the appropriate treatment for the patient. Following, she was taken for 24 h to the ICU due to lactic acidosis while the bleeding was treated conservatively. Afterward, she was transferred to the clinic, hemodynamically stable, and was discharged uneventfully. Conclusions Hemorrhagic edema of the tongue may become a life-threatening condition. Its rapid growth can lead to obstruction of the upper respiratory way; therefore, special wariness in its management is required. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, depending on the size and tendency of hematoma to increase.