Transoral robotic surgery for the excision of base of tongue vascular lesions.

Vascular lesions of the oropharynx may impair swallowing and breathing functions, bleed repeatedly, or cause airway compromise. Conservative management with steroids, interferon, or propranolol may be attempted, but surgery is often needed. Surgical approaches traditionally involved open procedures; however, with the growth of transoral robotic surgery, a new approach is available. This report describes how transoral robotic surgery can be used in a safe manner to resect base of tongue (BOT) vascular lesions with minimal morbidity. Institutional review board research ethics approval was granted by the Ohio State University Office of Responsible Research Practices (OSU-07061).