[An abscess in the tongue].

Abscesses of the tongue are rare and potentially life-threatening because of risk of airway obstruction. It is most often preceded by trauma. In this paper we present an otherwise healthy patient with an abscess in the tongue eleven days after a trauma involving the presence of an insect believed to be a spider in the mouth. The symptoms were oedema, redness and pain of the tongue. A computed tomography was used as a diagnostic tool. The abscess was successfully treated with incision and antibiotics. Abscess should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a swollen tongue.