Lingual Abscess in a Psychiatric Patient: A Case Report

Kikidis, Dimitris; Marinakis, Konstantinos; Sengas, J.; Chrysovergis, Aristeidis

doi:10.1155/2012/194292

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Lingual abscesses are a rare condition, typically affecting young to middle-aged adults [29]. Their uncommon occurrence has been attributed to the efficient defensive properties of the tongue: the immunological properties of saliva can promptly neutralize bacteria; the thick keratinized mucosa, together with a cleansing action of saliva via continuous tongue movement, further hinder the penetration of microorganisms, where the rich vascular supply and lymphatic drainage of the muscles allow for their eventual early eradication [9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically considering local factors, several patients were reported as having poor oral hygiene/caries or having recently undergone dental surgery, and many also admitted to active smoking or alcohol abuse [3,6,[8][9][10][11]; some authors reported a previous infection of the upper airways [4,12,13]. Interestingly, the patient in the article by Veloo et al [14] had regular use of corticosteroid inhalers; the role of these agents on superficial oral infections is well known, while there is no evidence of a possible role in deeper soft tissue involvement.…”

Section: Predisposing Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The same paper (dated 2011) also provided a table with all the recent cases of oral abscesses from the literature with the culture results available: this review was in line with their case, documenting various and often miscellaneous bacterial isolations and some cases in which no microorganism growth was detected. Surprisingly, some authors did not report an attempt at bacterial isolation, but this could be attributable to both logistic difficulties or a negative result that was not specified in the publication [9,14,24].…”

Section: Laboratory Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Atypical Tongue Abscesses Mimicking Submucosal Malignancies: A Review of the Literature Focusing on Diagnostic Challenges

Rampi,

Tettamanti,

Bertotto

et al. 2023

Cancers

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Tongue abscesses are rare conditions that usually follow mucosal disruption due to mechanical trauma or foreign body impaction. They typically manifest abruptly as a rapidly growing, hard mass or swelling in the context of tongue muscles; the patient frequently complains of pain, difficulties in swallowing or speaking, and fever. Nonetheless, the features of its presentation, together with accurate clinical evaluation, blood tests, and appropriate imaging tests, are usually sufficient to easily discern a tongue abscess from a malignancy. However, in rare cases, they may occur with slowly progressing and subtle symptoms, nuanced objective and laboratory findings, and inconclusive radiological evidence, leading to difficult differential diagnosis with submucosal malignancy. Herein, we review the literature, available on Pubmed, Embase, and Scopus, on publications reporting tongue abscesses, with atypical presentation suggesting an oral tumor. Our review confirms that tongue abscesses may manifest as a slowly growing and moderately painful swelling without purulent discharge and minimal mucosal inflammation; in this case, they may constitute an actual diagnostic challenge with potentially severe impact on correct management. Atypical tongue abscesses must therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of tongue malignancy with submucosal extension, even when other diagnostic elements suggest a neoplasia; in this case, a deep biopsy under general anesthesia is essential for differential diagnosis, and simultaneous drainage of the necrotic and abscessual material may resolve the condition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%