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PATHOLOGIC QUIZ CASE 1
J. R. CHANDLER, MD, MIAMI, FLA
A 64-year-old white woman had noticed intermittent swelling of her neck, which was attributed to "glands," and had headaches for the previous 12 months. She had responded temporarily to a course of antibiotics and treatments for a "sinus condition." An intraoral surgical procedure of some type had been attempted elsewhere and had been discontinued because the patient said, "My blood pressure fell ...." The tissue which had been removed was reported as "negative."Examination revealed an obese elderly woman with marked fullness in the submental and bilateral submaxillary areas. This was due to edema and induration of the entire region with a definite 3-cm node in the right subdigastric triangle (Fig 1). Intraoral inspection at first showed a normal condition, but mirror examination revealed a large mass which occupied the entire base of her tongue and precluded a view of her