Abstract
Suppurative inflammation of the tongue is not common, and abscess formation is extremely rare. A 14-year-old girl with pain in the tongue, dysphagia, and difficulty in breathing was admitted to our hospital. The patient was treated using intravenous antibiotics administration and did not require any puncture or incision drainage.
We reviewed the cases of lingual abscess in Japan after 1980. In most cases, lingual abscess develops in the body of the tongue, and the causes are unknown. The abscess was most frequently diagnosed by lancing or incision; however, in our case, enhanced computed tomography was useful as a non-invasive diagnostic technique. The principal treatment for lingual abscess is puncture or incision drainage; however, in a few cases, abscess was cured using only antibiotics. When puncture or incision is difficult to perform and there is no airway obstruction and no foreign particle in the abscess, it can be treated using intravenous antibiotics administration under careful respiratory monitoring. However, if the abscess does not improve within several days of antibiotic treatment, puncture or incision should be performed without hesitation.
