Self-inflicted traumatic macroglossia

Self-Induced Traumatic Macroglossia: Case Report and Literature Review

Traumatic macroglossia is an extremely rare condition characterized by a sudden edematous swelling of the tongue due to trauma. We report a rare case of traumatic macroglossia in a 37-year-old male with known trisomy 21 and epilepsy who presented to the emergency room with a huge protruded tongue due to aggressive behavior and a history of multiple tongue tractions, leading to sudden severe tongue swelling without any respiratory distress symptoms. The examination was unremarkable; fixable nasolaryngoscopy relieved bilateral vocal cord movement, and there was no laryngeal edema. The patient was managed immediately by endotracheal intubation to secure the airway, and corticosteroids were used to diminish and stop the tongue swelling. We describe the clinical management for such patients, highlighting the different causes of traumatic macroglossia. A few cases have been reported in the literature, but this is the first case to report self-induced traumatic macroglossia in a seizure-free patient managed successfully by endotracheal intubation, corticosteroids, a bite block, and warm wet dressing.

Application of Maxillomandibular Fixation for Management of Traumatic Macroglossia: A Case Report

We present a case of a 14-year-old adolescent boy who has oral cavity after gunshot wound to the tongue presenting with hemorrhage from the tongue requiring coil embolization of the right lingual artery. The patient subsequently developed macroglossia, which was managed with maxillomandibular fixation for a period of 3 weeks with complete resolution of glossal edema.

Tongue bite in a patient with tracheostomy after prone position -A case report-

A 22-year-old man underwent an operation for posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine at L3-5. He was ventilated via a tracheostomy site in a prone position for 210 minutes. Ventilator function and eyeballs were checked periodically. After changing his position to supine for the wake-up test, it was noticed that his tongue was self-inflicted and looked to be cut unless immediate decompression was applied. After several manual attempts to open the mouth failed, anesthesia depth was deepened with thiopental sodium and neuromuscular blocker to decompress and reposition the tongue into the intraoral cavity. Minimal teeth marks and scarring remained after seven months without any complications.

Acute exacerbation of macroglossia

We report the case of a large venous malformation of the tongue, preventing the patient from being able to contain it within the oral cavity. The extent of the malformation precluded a complete surgical excision. The immediate problems were; impending airway compromise, inability to speak, eat or drink, severe discomfort due to exposure-induced dryness and an embarrassing spectacle. This case demonstrates that even malformations considered to be incurable may be managed appropriately.