Lingual tonsil abscess: a rare, life-threatening cause of acute sore throat

Awai, Shashi; Miller, Benjamin J.; Dimitrov, L; Williamson, Andrew

doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-229555

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…[28][29][30][31] However, there are rare reports of peritonsillar abscesses of the inferior pole in the literature, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis for this case. 32 In addition, isolated cases of atypical oropharygneal abscesses have been reported previously in the literature: infratonsillar abscesses resultant from infection of the lingual tonsils, [33][34][35][36] palatine tonsils [37][38][39][40][41] as well as peritonsillar abscesses posttonsillectomy. 42 However, the majority of these patients were pediatric and none of them presented with severe life-threatening airway obstruction due to their localization in the peritonsillar region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolated oropharyngeal abscess with hypopharyngeal extension recurring 12 years after initial surgical management: A case report and review of the literature

Khoury

Dong

Alsaffar

et al. 2022

SAGE Open Medical Case Reports

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Pharyngeal abscesses require urgent management as they have the propensity to cause severe and life-threatening complications. The introduction of antibiotics has led to a dramatic decline in the incidence of these infections. Regardless, abscess formation continues to be observed in the peritonsillar, parapharyngeal, and retropharyngeal spaces. Oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal abscesses that cause airway obstruction are scarcely reported and tend to be secondary to other processes. Herein, we describe the case of an 83-year-old man presenting with an idiopathic, obstructive, oropharyngeal wall abscess, extending from the infratonsillar region to the hypopharynx, which recurred after initial surgical management 12 years prior for the same process. He required reintervention during both episodes for rapid reaccumulation. A detailed electronic literature search of PubMed and MedLine was performed for studies reporting on recurrent pharyngeal abscesses and their management. Results were limited to articles published in English from inception to August 2021. The timely management of pharyngeal infections acutely obstructing the airway is crucial. Physicians should adopt close and frequent monitoring and have a low threshold for reimaging should symptoms worsen or fail to improve after the initial surgical intervention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolated oropharyngeal abscess with hypopharyngeal extension recurring 12 years after initial surgical management: A case report and review of the literature

Khoury

Dong

Alsaffar

et al. 2022

SAGE Open Medical Case Reports

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“…Abscess of the tongue is a very rare disease that potentially compromises the airway. 1 The tongue’s strong keratinized epithelium, the density of its muscle compartments, its rich vasculature, and the bactericidal properties of saliva all serve to prevent infection. 2 However, when host defense mechanisms are impaired, tongue abscesses are more likely to occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tongue Abscess: A Case Report

Mesfin

Debele

Seyoum

et al. 2022

IMCRJ

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Introduction Abscess of the tongue is a very rare disease that potentially compromises the airway. Acute tongue abscess symptoms include swelling or a lump in the deep tissues of the tongue, throbbing local pain, a discomfort that radiates to the ears, fever, difficulty swallowing, deliberate fixation of the tongue due to pain, and eventually, difficulties breathing. Case This is a 50-year-old male patient who presented with a complaint of severe tongue pain and swelling of three days duration. Associated with this, he had pain while swallowing, difficulty opening his mouth, shortness of breath, and drooling saliva. Likewise, he had a high-grade fever and a global type of headache. On physical examination, there was significant tongue swelling on the left anterolateral area, fluctuant on palpation, and had erythematous border. After informed consent was taken the patient was transferred to the operation room with the diagnosis of tongue abscess. Subsequently, incision and drainage were done under general anesthesia, and about 30mL of thick pus was drained. The pocket was washed with normal saline and 2% hydrogen peroxide. The patient was transferred to the surgical ward with stable vital signs and had been on antibiotics. He was discharged after two days of hospital stay. Conclusion Abscesses in the tongue are quite uncommon due to its rich vascular supply, lymphatic drainage, and saliva’s immunologic advantage. Thorough diagnosis and successful treatment of tongue abscess prevent potential airway compromise. Antibiotic treatment should cover gram-positive and gram-negative anaerobes.

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“…Abscess of the tongue is a very rare disease. 1,2 It is a potentially life-threatening clinical entity because elevation and backward displacement of tongue may compromise airway. 3,4 Accurate diagnosis of these lesions has important prognostic and therapeutic implications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3,4 Accurate diagnosis of these lesions has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. 1 When diagnosed, these lesions are opened and drained. Most tongue abscesses are unilateral and located in the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%