title: [Giant lingual hemangioma: apropos of a surgically treated case].
abstract: This paper presents the very unusual case of a woman who, up until the age of 24 years, had been locked away by her parents in order to hide her deformity. She consequently suffered from chronic malnutrition, speech disability and was unable to apply any oral hygiene. During the preoperative period she was treated with corticosteroids leading to thrombosis of the tumour and subsequent inflammation followed by acute airways obstruction requiring emergency tracheotomy. During the operation, the large neck vessels were dissected bilaterally to avoid any haemorrhage. The lingual arteries were tied bilaterally. Haemostatic sutures were applied before section and 95% of the tumour was resected. The residual tissue was used to reconstruct the tongue. A total of 100 ml of blood was lost. Surgery changed the patient's life. She was able to eat correctly, receive dental treatment and, most importantly, speak, which she had been unable to do previously. She was subsequently integrated into society.
authors.affiliation: Clinique de Chirurgie Esthétique, San Jose, Costa Rica, Amérique Centrale.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Chaconbolaños
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quirosherrera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013997:Time Factors; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*
vernacular_title: Hémangiome lingual géant: a propos d'un cas traité chirurgicalement.