Successful perioperative airway management in a patient with angiomatous macroglossia for laser ablation under general anesthesia

Macroglossia is defined as an abnormal enlargement of the tongue that predominantly affects pediatric patients and is not frequent in adult patients. Hypothyroidism and hyperpituitarism may cause macroglossia in adults. In addition, infiltration of the tongue by abnormal tissues, including angiomatous and lymphatic malformations and amyloidosis, is a major cause of macroglossia, particularly in adults. Here we describe the case of a 63-year-old male patient with massive macroglossia due to tongue hemangioma who underwent laser ablation under general anesthesia. Elaborate preanesthetic anatomical and functional airway evaluation facilitated successful airway management in this patient, even in the presence of massive macroglossia.