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Another cause of difficult airway in an elderly patient: Tongue-base abscess
Murat Binar1, Fatih Arslan2, Umit Aydin1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Gulhane Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective:
An abscess of the tongue base is rare, but it can be a potentially life-threatening situation in elderly patients.
Case Report:
A 72-year-old male patient presented with mid-anterior neck swelling, odynophagia, poor oral hygiene and severe dyspnoea. After a difficult intubation, the muscles were dissected via a submental suprahyoid approach and the abscess was drained.
Conclusion:
Poor oral hygiene may predispose elderly patients to tongue-base abscesses. An early decision should be made for surgical drainage due to the risk of airway obstruction.
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