A glossectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the

tongue The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...

. It is performed in order to curtail malignant growth such as

oral cancer Oral cancer, also known as oral cavity cancer, tongue cancer or mouth cancer, is a cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless red or white patch, that thickens, gets ulcerated ...

. Often only a portion of the tongue needs to be removed, in which case the procedure is called a partial removal, or hemiglossectomy. A midline glossectomy is a surgical reduction of the size of the base of the tongue ( posterior tongue), sometimes used to treat

sleep apnea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

References

* * Surgical removal procedures Tongue surgery {{surgery-stub

See also

References