Introduction
Amyloidosis is a rare disorder where there is accumulation of pathologic deposits of amyloids in tissues. The amyloids are protein polymers formed of identical monomer units. Pathological amyloids are usually formed from misfolded proteins. The deposition of amyloids occurs either intracellularly or extracellularly alter the normal function of organs.(1)
Amyloidosis can be classified according to clinicopathological criteria as follows; i) primary systemic amyloidosis, with completely normal laboratory and radiological investigations; ii) secondary systemic amyloidosis caused by chronic disease, such as tuberculosis or rheumatoid arthritis; iii) Hereditary systemic amyloidosis associated with multiple myeloma; and iv) localized amyloidosis with no evidence of systemic amyloidosis or underlying chronic disease.
Head and neck amyloidosis can be either localized or part of systemic affection; Localized amyloidosis usually affect larynx and trachea.(2) Tongue involvement is common in systemic amyloidosis either diffuse as macroglossia or localized. Localized tongue amyloidosis is extremely rare.(2) This study presents a rare case of localized amyloidosis at the level of the tongue base following tongue base ablation surgery in the setting of multilevel surgery for management of severe obstructive sleep apnea patient.