glossectomy glossectomy a glossectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the tongue. it is performed in order to curtail malignant growth such as oral cancer. 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. glossectomyicd-9-cm25.2-25.4meshd005927