Transoral surgery with Thunderbeat© for hemangioma of the tongue base: A novel procedure. Case report.

INTRODUCTION

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of the head-neck region in children and mainly affect the face, oral mucosa, lips, and tongue. The base of tongue is an extremely rare site of involvement. The incidence is higher in women and occur more frequently in infants and childhood.

PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a rare case of cavernous hemangioma of the base of tongue in a 70-year-old male patient surgically removed by Transoral Ultrasonic Surgery (TOUSS). 1-year follow up didn't show sign of recurrence.

DISCUSSION: Hemangiomas are benign proliferations of endothelial cells common in the head and neck. The etiology is uncertain: an imbalance in angiogenesis related to substances such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) with uncontrolled proliferation of vascular elements is proposed. It can be asymptomatic or, when affecting the tongue, lead to difficulty swallowing, pain, bleeding and dyspnea.

CONCLUSION

This case report aims to stress that hemangioma should be considered in differential diagnosis in case of richly vascularized tongue base lesion, also in adult population. It would like to highlight the role of transoral ultrasonic surgery (TOUSS), which is able to achieve the same advantages as TORS with lower costs and shorter learning curve.