A rare case of hemilingual abscess in a 17-year-old girl: the ease of ultrasound and the advantage of MRI.

Abscess of the tongue is rare owing to the rich vascularity and muscularity of the tongue and anti-infective properties of saliva. An abscess limited only to one half of the tongue is even more rare. We report a case of hemilingual abscess in a 17-year-old girl who presented with high-grade fever and a swollen and immobile tongue. Ultrasound (US) through floor of mouth showed inflammatory changes and collection within the right half of the genioglossus muscle. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed this finding, and isolated right-sided involvement was identified. US-guided aspiration of the collection yielded pus that showed gram-positive cocci on microscopy. The patient was managed conservatively, and repeat US showed resolution of the abscess. The importance of US as a quick, inexpensive, and versatile imaging technique and the precision of MRI regarding the extent of abscess of tongue are stressed.