title: Idiopathic gangrene of the tongue: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gangrene of the tongue is an extremely rare condition. We encountered a 35-year-old patient who presented with this entity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 35-year-old male patient from rural background presented with blackening of the tongue. Its exact cause could not be ascertained. Examination revealed it to be gangrene. It was treated with excision of the gangrenous part.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As this is a very rare condition, it is being reported with a brief review of the relevant literature. The treatment must be based on the etiology; however, if the etiology is not known, it must be symptomatic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh India. dranand27@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: Lokesh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saluja
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Sudesh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sagar