Another cause of difficult airway in an elderly patient: Tongue-base abscess.

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.
(© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)