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Ankyloglossia: Does it matter?

ARTICLE in PEDIATRIC CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA APRIL 2003
Impact Factor: 2.12 DOI: 10.1016/S0031-3955(03)00029-4 Source: PubMed

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Pediatr Clin N Am 50 (2003) 381 397

Ankyloglossia: does it matter?

M. Lauren Lalakea, MDa,b, Anna H. Messner, MDa,c,*
a

Division of Surgery/Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University,

Stanford, CA 94305, USA
b
Division of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center,
751 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
c
Lucile Salter Packard Childrens Hospital, Stanford Pediatric Otolaryngology, 725 Welch Road,
Palo Alto, CA 94304-5654, USA

An author nearly 40 years ago aptly commented that much entertaining

nonsense has been written about tongue-tie [1]. Tongue-tie (more formally
known as ankyloglossia) is a congenital anomaly characterized by an abnormally
short lingual frenulum, which may restrict mobility of the tongue tip. The clinical
significance of this anomaly and the best method of management have been the
subject of debate for some time [2]. Much of the controversy about management
of ankyloglossia probably is related to the paucity of relevant scientific data
demonstrating efficacy of intervention. To quote a prominent pediatrician (PD),
much of the information needed for making rational treatment decisions in cases
of tongue-tie is lacking [3]. In a recent edition of a popular pediatric textbook,
only one sentence is devoted to the discussion of ankyloglossia [4]. The purpose
of this article is to summarize fact, fiction, and areas of controversy about
ankyloglossia, to create a greater awareness and understanding of this condition.

Historical context
Historical references to tongue-tie may be found beginning in biblical times:
. . .and the string of his tongue was loosened and he spoke plain, (Mark 7:35). In
the eighteenth century, several references, as cited by Catlin and De Haan [5] and
Marmet et al [6], recommended clipping the frenulum in tongue-tied infants to
facilitate breast-feeding. Horton et al [7] reported that it was the habit of midwives
in this period to use their fingernails to divide the lingual frenulum of all infants.
Since that time, support for tongue-tie as a cause of feeding or speech problems
* Corresponding author. Division of Surgery/Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford
University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
E-mail address: amessner@stanfordmed.org (A.H. Messner).
0031-3955/03/$ see front matter D 2003, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0031-3955(03)00029-4

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has waxed and waned. By the early part of the twentieth century, strenuous opposition was raised to the practice of frenotomy [6,7]. Moreover, by the 1940s,
some authors were quite vehement in their opinion that ankyloglossia should
never be considered causally related to speech difficulties of any type [8]. Current
opinion ranges from the belief that tongue-tie only rarely interferes with feeding or
speech, and generally requires no treatment [3,4]; to enthusiastic support for
frenotomy in the lactation literature [9 11]. Illustrating this diversity of opinion, a
recent article reported the results of a survey of hundreds of US and Canadian PDs,
otolaryngologists (OTOs), lactation consultants (LCs), and speech pathologists
(SPs), and concluded that there was little consensus among and within these
groups with regard to the significance of ankyloglossia or its management [2].

Incidence and natural history

Ankyloglossia is uncommon, but not rare. Incidence figures reported in the
literature vary widely, ranging from 0.02% to 4.8% [5,12 15]. Tongue-tie occurs
more commonly in maleswith a male-to-female ratio on the order of 3 to 1, and
shows no racial predilection [13,14]. The variation in reported incidence may be
attributed, in part, to the lack of a uniform definition and objective grading
system for tongue-tie. In addition, some of the variation may reflect age-related
differences in the presence of this anomaly. Contemporary studies conducted in
well-baby nurseries have yielded incidence figures for neonates in the range of
1.7% to 4.8% [12 15]. Tongue-tie is thought to be less common in adults, although there are no exact figures in this regard [3,5].
Ankyloglossia occurs most frequently as an isolated anatomic variation.
Increased prevalence has been noted in infants with a history of maternal cocaine
abuse (incidence = 10.4%, odds ratio = 3.5) [16]. Ankyloglossia also may occur
with increased frequency in association with various congenital syndromes,
including Opitz syndrome, orodigitofacial syndrome, and in association with
X-linked cleft palate [17 19].
There is little definitive information on the natural history of untreated ankyloglossia. Certain authors [1,7] have postulated (but not substantiated) that the short
frenulum can elongate spontaneously due to progressive stretching and thinning
of the frenulum with age and use. This explanation might account for the general
perception that this anomaly is more frequently seen in young children, as compared with adults. There is, however, no prospective longitudinal data on the fate
of the congenitally short lingual frenulum. This lack of scientific data complicates
clinical decision making with regard to the need for treatment of ankyloglossia, if
any, and its timing.

Potential manifestations
Opinions range widely regarding the clinical significance of ankyloglossia.
Some authors feel that ankyloglossia is only rarely symptomatic [3,4], whereas

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383

others believe it may lead to a host of problems, including infant feeding difficulties, speech disorders, and various mechanical and social issues related to the
inability of the tongue to protrude sufficiently [6,7,20 22]. The ankyloglossia
survey study mentioned above [2] found that as a group, PDs were less likely than
their OTO, SP, and LC colleagues to believe that this anomaly was associated with
symptoms of any kind. Ninety percent of PDs surveyed indicated that ankyloglossia is never or rarely a cause of feeding dysfunction, whereas 69% of LCs
stated that ankyloglossia was frequently or always associated with feeding difficulty. Seventy-seven percent of PDs noted that ankyloglossia is never or rarely a
cause of speech dysfunction, whereas only 40% of OTOs believed similarly. Lastly, 67% of OTOs as compared with 21% of PDs believed that tongue-tie is at least
sometimes associated with a variety of social and mechanical issues. Although
some of the above differences may reflect referral biases, it is clear that beliefs
about the significance of ankyloglossia are quite divergent. Information that is
relevant to the potential clinical manifestations of tongue-tie is outlined below.
Effect on feeding
With the increasing popularity of breast-feeding in the past 2 decades, there
has been a resurgence of interest in ankyloglossia as a cause of breast-feeding
problems [6,9]. Although much of the current literature relating to this topic is in
the form of case reports and small uncontrolled case series [6,11,23,24], many LCs
and some physicians believe that ankyloglossia can make breast-feeding difficult
for at least some infants with this condition [2,6,25]. Multiparous mothers who
have breast-fed their unaffected infant(s) successfully in the past note an obvious
difference when nursing a subsequent newborn with tongue-tie. Moreover, mothers
of affected infants frequently report a marked improvement in breast-feeding after
tongue-tie release. Problems reported previously include sore nipples, poor
latching and sucking mechanics, poor infant weight gain, and early weaning.
A recently published prospective study of infants with ankyloglossia has shed
some light on this controversy [14]. Mothers of 36 infants with ankyloglossia
noted at birth and mothers of a matched control group of unaffected newborns
were followed for up to 6 months to determine the incidence of breast-feeding
difficulties. There was no significant difference in the percentage of mothers with
affected infants as compared with mothers in the control group who were able to
successfully breast-feed for at least 2 months (83% and 92%, respectively). Breastfeeding problems, defined as nipple pain lasting longer than 6 weeks or infant
difficulty latching onto the breast, occurred significantly more frequently in the
ankyloglossia group, however (25%, versus 3% for controls). This study concluded that ankyloglossia may adversely affect breast-feeding in selected infants.
There is general agreement that infants with ankyloglossia do not have trouble
with bottle-feeding, nor with handling solid foods once they are introduced.
Bottle-feeding, however, should not be proposed as a solution for ankyloglossiarelated problems in a mother who otherwise desires to breast-feed. The role of
frenotomy in this situation is discussed later in the article.

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Effect on speech
The effect of ankyloglossia on speech has not been defined clearly. Although
speech problems historically have been viewed as the hallmark manifestation of
symptomatic tongue-tie, particularly among the lay public, others in the literature
have vociferously denied that any such relationship exists [8]. Current opinion
among speech therapists is evenly divided; 49% of those responding to a survey
on this topic believed that ankyloglossia was never or rarely associated with
speech problems, and an equal number believed that it was sometimes or
frequently associated with speech problems [2].
Anecdotal evidence indicates that some children with ankyloglossia develop
normal speech, and compensate for limited tongue-tip mobility without surgical
repair or need for speech therapy [1,7,21]. In at least some individuals, however,
tongue-tie contributes to articulation errors or difficulty with the rate and range of
articulation, thereby decreasing speech intelligibility [1,7,20,21,26]. Speech
sounds that may be affected by impaired tongue-tip mobility include lingual
sounds and sibilants such as T, D, Z, S, TH, N, and L [1,5,27]. The compensatory
techniques used by children with ankyloglossia typically include restricted mouth
opening while speaking, and alternate tongue placement for sounds requiring
tongue-tip elevation.
An excellent study by Fletcher and Meldrum [20] provided strong evidence
regarding the relationship of tongue mobility to speech articulation. In this study,
normal children, 11 to 12 years of age, underwent careful intraoral measurements
of the relative lengths of the tongue and frenulum, to determine the ratio of free
tongue to total tongue length. Participants were separated into limited lingual
freedom and greater lingual freedom groups on this basis. These investigators
found a highly significant increase in the number of articulation errors in the
limited lingual freedom group as compared with the greater lingual freedom
group, and concluded that these findings might be particularly pertinent to the
entity of ankyloglossia.
When present, the severity of the articulation problems in affected individuals
may vary; problems may be so pronounced as to be evident at the single word
level, or be mild enough so as to be noticeable only in connected speech. In our
experience, up to one half of young children with ankyloglossia referred for
otolaryngology evaluation will have articulation difficulties that may be detected
in the context of a formal speech pathology consultation [26]. In addition, among
adults with ankyloglossia, even those with grossly normal speech still may
complain of speech problems, believing that their speech is more effortful than
that of others.
It is important to keep in mind that ankyloglossia is not a cause of speech
delay. Children with ankyloglossia are expected to acquire speech and language
at a normal rate, although some may experience articulation difficulties for
certain speech sounds, as indicated above. Occasionally, parents and others who
care for a child with speech delay may erroneously ascribe the delay to tonguetie, and demand surgical intervention in the hope that normal speech and

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385

language will result. In such a patient, potential causes of speech delay should be
sought carefully, and the patient should be directed for other evaluations as appropriate (eg, audiologic, speech/language, or neurodevelopmental assessments).
Surgical repair may be considered at a later time, once the child has been evaluated fully, and other issues have been addressed.
Mechanical and social effects
The potential mechanical and social consequences of ankyloglossia have received little attention in the medical literature. Many clinicians are unaware that
tongue-tie may have consequences beyond those of speech and feeding difficulties [2]. Mechanical problems related to tongue-tie may include difficulty with
intraoral toilet (licking the lips and sweeping the teeth free of food debris), local
discomfort or cuts beneath the tongue, dental issues such as a diastasis between
the lower central incisors due to pressure from a tight frenulum, and difficulty
wearing dentures later in life due to poor fit. Other issues that may be associated
with limited lingual range of motion may include decreased facility in playing a
wind instrument, difficulty licking an ice cream cone, and difficulty with french
kissing [1,21,28,29]. In addition, as might be expected, these types of symptoms
may be accompanied by a sense of social embarrassment, due to teasing and ridicule from peers [30,31].
In our experience, approximately 50% of older children and adults with
persistent ankyloglossia report one or several of the above complaints when their
presence is sought in the course of obtaining a complete problem-directed history.
These mechanical limitations and social issues may occur even in the absence of
other ankyloglossia-related complaints (ie, without a history of feeding or speech
problems). It is important to note that mechanical and social concerns may not
manifest until later in childhood. Younger children indeed may have symptoms,
but may not recognize or be able to report them. In addition, complaints related to
activities such as playing a wind instrument and kissing, and issues relating to
teasing and ridicule from peers, may not become apparent or relevant until later
childhood and beyond. Finally, owing to a sense of embarrassment regarding
their condition, patients may refrain from expressing or volunteering their
concerns unless questioned directly.

Diagnosis
Although the diagnosis of ankyloglossia may be suggested by history, it is
confirmed by characteristic physical examination findings. The frenulum may be
thick and fibrous or thin and membranous, and is abnormally short, inserting at or
near the tongue tip (Figs. 1, 2). The tongue may have a notched or heart shape on
protrusion, due to tethering by the frenulum (Fig. 3). Protrusion is limited, and in
some cases, may fail to extend past the lower lip. The tongue may appear to roll
or curl with attempted protrusion as the midportion of the tongue moves forward,

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Fig. 1. One-day-old male with mild ankyloglossia and difficulty latching onto the breast.

while the tip itself is drawn inferiorly by the frenulum with little forward extension. Affected individuals also characteristically will have difficulty lifting or
elevating the tip of the tongue toward the upper dentition and upper lip. Patients
may be completely unable to lift the tongue, or in those cases when they are able
to elevate the tip to some degree, there is often dimpling noted behind the tongue
tip due to tethering. Side-to-side motion of the tongue may be impaired as well. A
space or diastasis between the lower teeth is occasionally present, due to the
repeated thrusting action of the frenulum through the teeth with attempted tongue
protrusion (Fig. 4).

Fig. 2. Preschooler with moderate ankyloglossia and articulation problems.

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387

Fig. 3. Heart-shaped tongue on protrusion.

A variety of schemas have been proposed to verify the presence of ankyloglossia and grade its severity. Hazelbaker [32], an LC, devised an Assessment
Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function to be used with neonates. This tool evaluates seven tongue movements, including lateralization, lift, extension, spread of
anterior tongue, cupping, peristalsis, and snap-back. Each movement is graded on
a 0 to 2 scale; if an infant scores poorly, frenotomy is recommended.

Fig. 4. Four-year-old male with diastasis between his lower central incisors due to ankyloglossia.

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Kotlow [28] used a measurement termed free tongue (distance in mm from

tongue tip to the insertion of the frenulum) to divide tongue-tie into four classes:
mild, moderate, severe, and complete. Unfortunately, this classification scheme
failed to provide any documentation regarding the correlation of ankyloglossia
class to clinical symptoms. Others [20,33] have used more detailed ratios of
lingual dimensions to assess tongue-tie in the older child, and have documented
a relationship between these measures and speech articulation. Owing to lack of
cooperation and difficulties measuring this mobile muscle, however, these investigators resorted to the use of general anesthesia to accomplish this assessment
in young children [20,33]. Williams and Waldron [27] proposed an alternate
method, designed to measure lingual function, rather than a physical dimension.
These authors recommended measuring the maximum ability of the patient to
elevate the tongue, by asking the patient to touch the tip of his or her tongue to
the upper teeth, and then open the mouth as widely as possible while maintaining
contact. While the patient holds this position, the distance between the upper and
lower central teeth, or interincisal distance, is recorded in millimeters (Fig. 5).
The interincisal distance is thus used as an objective measure of tongue elevation
ability; unfortunately, these authors [27] did not obtain normative data nor did
they document clinical correlation.
Despite the varied attempts listed above to quantify ankyloglossia severity, at
present there is no way to predictbased on examination findingswhich
children are likely to have, or to develop, speech or mechanical symptoms related
to their ankyloglossia. Ability to protrude the tongue past the lower lip has been
used by some in the past as a quick rule of thumb to predict which patients will not
require surgical repair [1]. In our personal experience with treating children with
ankyloglossia, however, we have found that those with an associated articulation
disorder (as documented on formal speech pathology assessment) will often be
able to protrude the tongue 15 mm or more beyond the lower dentition [26].

Fig. 5. Interincisal distance. The tongue is placed at the back posterior edge of the upper teeth and
the mouth is maximally opened. Measurement (in millimeters) is taken between the teeth. (From
Lalakea ML, Messner AH. Frenotomy and frenuloplasty: if, when, and how. Op Tech Otolaryngol
2002;13:95; with permission.)

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389

In our practice, we measure lingual mobility in children who are able to cooperate for protrusion (measured in millimeters of tip extension past the lower
dentition) (Fig. 6), and elevation (as measured by recording interincisal distance
with the tongue tip maximally elevated and in contact with the upper teeth).
Although these measurements may not predict necessarily the presence or absence
of symptoms, they provide objective documentation of tongue mobility and help
to define the degree of restriction. We have found that protrusion and elevation
values are typically in the range of 15 mm or less in children with ankyloglossia,
and 20 to 25 mm or greater in normal children [26]. Moreover, mobility measurements are a valuable tool in documenting change, particularly preoperatively
and postoperatively.

Indications for intervention

History and physical examination generally are sufficient to confirm the presence of ankyloglossia, and supplemental evaluations are not required to establish
whether a child may be considered a candidate for surgery. When the presenting
problem relates to breast-feeding difficulty, consultation with a lactation specialist

Fig. 6. Tongue protrusion. Measurement (in millimeters) taken from the lower incisors to the tongue
tip. (From Lalakea ML, Messner AH. Frenotomy and frenuloplasty: if, when, and how. Op Tech
Otolaryngol 2002;13:94; with permission.)

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is an optionparticularly if the degree of restriction appears quite mildto rule

out other contributing factors. When the patients primary complaint is speech
difficulty, a formal speech evaluation may be helpful if the relationship of the
ankyloglossia to the speech disorder is in doubt. A failed trial of speech therapy is
not a requirement before surgical repair is considered.
Patients with ankyloglossia with obvious or definite indications for surgery
include infants with associated breast-feeding difficulties, young children with
characteristic articulation problems, and older children and adults adversely affected by the mechanical and social manifestations of this condition. There are other
relative indications (discussed below); however, the timing of intervention and the
benefit of surgery in these alternate clinical scenarios are more controversial.
The optimal timing for surgery has not been determined. Some investigators
have advocated surgical intervention prior to the development of speech difficulties [22,25], whereas others have mandated withholding surgery until age 4
or more, and then offering surgery only to those with a manifest speech problem
[1,3,7]. Current opinion is no less varied; in a recent survey regarding ankyloglossia treatment, 34% of OTOs believed that surgery was inappropriate in
children less than 1 year of age, 36% believed surgery could be performed at any
age, and 42% believed surgery to be inappropriate (and perhaps less effective) for
those 12 years of age or older [2].
In our view, given the minor nature of the surgery and the significant potential
for speech difficulties and later social and mechanical problems, it may be
appropriate to consider surgery for those children with significant ankyloglossia
at any age, including infants and toddlers who have yet to demonstrate overt
symptoms. When very young children are referred for evaluation, we inform parents that there is no way to predict which children will develop symptoms related
to their condition, and which children may remain asymptomatic or later outgrow
their condition. We do, however, present information regarding the potential early
and late consequences of ankyloglossia and solicit parental opinion with respect to
treatment preferences. Although early intervention in all children before the
development of speech problems may be unwarranted, delaying intervention until
obvious difficulties emerge may commit some children unnecessarily to a period
of rehabilitative speech therapy or social embarrassment.
One additional consideration when evaluating an infant with ankyloglossia is
that up to several months of age, a frenotomy can be performed quickly in the
clinic without requiring general anesthesia. In contrast, if surgery is deferred until
the child is older than 1 year of age, general anesthesia in the operating room
usually is required. Cooperative children older than 6 to 7 years of age usually
can undergo repair under local anesthesia, but deferring surgery until this age can
subject a child to an unnecessarily long period of symptoms or social concerns.
Therefore, our practice is to discuss these issues with parents, who may elect
early intervention at their discretion, or may prefer to wait and elect surgery only
if and when symptoms occur.
There are no absolute contraindications to surgery; however, as noted earlier,
children with apparent speech delay should be approached with caution, and

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391

surgery should be deferred until the child has been evaluated and treated by other
specialists as appropriate.

Alternatives to surgery
Alternatives to surgery include observation or a trial of speech therapy. The
wait-and-see approach may be considered for the young child with minimal
symptoms, because it is possible that the child will outgrow the ankyloglossia, or
compensate sufficiently so that future clinically significant speech or mechanical
problems will not occur.
In the child with speech difficulties, speech therapy may correct articulation
errors successfully in some cases, although SPs vary in their degree of optimism
for this approach [2]. One disadvantage of speech therapy is that it may require a
lengthy period during which time the child may be self-conscious about his or her
impairment. The benefit of speech therapy must be weighed against surgical
treatment that, although invasive, is simple, quick, and effective. Another disadvantage is that although speech therapy may allow the child to improve his or
her articulation over time by using various compensatory mechanisms, it may still
leave him or her vulnerable to later manifesting mechanical problems associated
with restricted lingual mobility.

Surgical procedures
Frenotomy, or simple release of the frenulum, and frenuloplasty (release with
plastic repair) are the two most commonly used surgical procedures in the
treatment of ankyloglossia. As noted above, appropriate patient selection and
ideal age for intervention have been topics of much disagreement. Past reports of
complications and the lack of clearly agreed-on measures of success have
contributed to the debate.
Frenotomy
Frenotomy (Fig. 7) also has been termed clipping of the frenulum, and is
most appropriate for the treatment of ankyloglossia in infants (eg, for breastfeeding problems) because it is rapid and relatively easy to accomplish. The procedure may be performed at the bedside in the newborn nursery, or in the office
with local or no anesthesia. Practitioners who typically perform frenotomy include OTOs, dentists, and PDs. Interestingly, 22% of a group of 425 US and Canadian PDs who responded to a survey for a recent paper on this topic indicated
that they had performed frenotomy, although only 10% reported that they had
been taught this skill in residency [2].
Although some practitioners use local anesthesia, in our experience, the
discomfort associated with the release of thin and membranous frenula is brief
and quite minor. The infant is positioned in front of the clinician with his or her

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Fig. 7. Frenotomy. (From Lalakea ML, Messner AH. Frenotomy and frenuloplasty: if, when, and how.
Op Tech Otolaryngol 2002;13:95; with permission.)

head directed toward the clinicians left (if the clinician is right handed). Two
gloved fingers of the clinicians left hand are placed below the tongue on either
side of midline, to retract it upward toward the palate, exposing the frenulum.
Small sterile scissors are used to release the frenulum, beginning at its free border
and proceeding posteriorly directly adjacent to the tongue to avoid injury to the
(more inferiorly placed) submandibular ducts in the floor of mouth. Occasionally,
complete release may be accomplished with a single scissor cut, but more
frequently, especially when the frenulum is quite tight, two or three sequential
cuts are required; each cut provides some release, allowing improved retraction
and visualization for subsequent cuts, if necessary. Bleeding is generally slight,
although the amount of blood may appear greater due to mixing with saliva. If
needed, bleeding can be controlled easily with a brief period of pressure applied
with a 2  2-inch gauze. The incision is not sutured, and the infant is allowed to
feed immediately following the procedure. Acetaminophen may be used for pain
control, but often is not required. Antibiotic therapy is unnecessary. The patient
may be seen in follow-up in 1 to 2 weeks as needed; generally by that time the
incision has healed completely. Once the practitioner has sufficient experience
with the procedure, telephone follow-up may be appropriate as long as the patient
is doing well.
Frenuloplasty
Frenuloplasty (Fig. 8) is the preferred procedure for most patients greater than
1 to 2 years of age, because it allows for more complete release of the tongue-tie.
In addition, because a plastic closure is performed, some surgeons believe that the
chance of scarring and recurrent ankyloglossia is reduced. In young children, the

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393

Fig. 8 A-C. Horizontal to vertical frenuloplasty. (A) the incision line; (B) the resulting defect; and
(C ) the closure line. (From Lalakea ML, Messner AH. Frenotomy and frenuloplasty: if, when, and
how. Op Tech Otolaryngol 2002;13:96; with permission.)

procedure is performed using a brief general anesthetic, whereas in older children

and adults, it can be accomplished easily in the clinic using a local anesthetic. The
frenulum is released in a manner identical to that used for frenotomy. Occasionally, limited division of the genioglossus muscle may be required to effect
adequate release. The resulting wound is closed with sutures. Some surgeons use
a z-plasty flap closure, and others prefer to close the diamond-shaped defect
created by the initial horizontally oriented release in a vertical manner (hori-

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zontal-to-vertical plasty). Both methods cover the exposed raw surface and result
in additional lengthening of the frenulum. Frenuloplasty is only slightly more
involved than is simple frenotomy, and requires only minutes to perform.
Bleeding is generally minimal, and is controlled with pressure or cautery. Patients
are advised to resume a normal diet as tolerated. As a rule, patients report little in
the way of postoperative discomfort, and may use acetaminophen as needed for
pain. Antibiotics are not required. When patients are old enough to comply, we
ask them to perform a series of tongue exercises several times daily for the first
4 to 6 weeks postoperatively, with the expectation that this practice may enhance mobility, assist in retraining of tongue musculature, and reduce the potential for scarring.

Surgical outcome
The results of frenotomy and frenuloplasty for ankyloglossia are highly favorable, provided that surgical indications are met and patients are appropriately
selected for intervention. In children and adults, tongue mobility measures
predictably improve in the first 1 to 3 months following surgery, and tend to
remain stable after that time. Postoperatively, patients may be expected to gain
10 mm or more of tongue protrusion and tongue elevation on average, as compared with preoperative measures of mobility [26]. In addition, significant subjective gains may be anticipated as well; a majority of parents/patients report that
they are highly satisfied with these procedures.
Frenotomy has been reported to result in immediate improvement in problems
related to breast-feeding in a majority of cases [6,9,30]. There are multiple
anecdotal reports in the lactation literature describing rapid resolution of maternal
nipple pain, better latching, and enhanced infant weight gain [10,11,23,24]. In
our practice, it is not uncommon for mothers to note a marked difference in
nursing mechanics as early as the first feeding after frenotomy. Frenotomy is
not a panacea for all breast-feeding problems, however; when the degree of
ankyloglossia is minimal, or there is doubt as to the contribution of tongue-tie
to nursing problems, it may be wise to obtain a lactation consultation or to
counsel the mother appropriately regarding expectations before proceeding
with frenotomy.
Speech results following frenuloplasty are good, assuming that patients who
are chosen for surgery have articulation problems characteristic of tongue-tie, and
not speech and language delay or an unrelated speech issue. More than 75% of
such children will have demonstrable improvements in articulation as judged by
an SP postoperatively as compared with preoperatively [26]. Supplemental
speech therapy may be required in the remaining minority to effect retraining
of tongue musculature and correction of preoperative compensatory strategies.
Although surgery alone may not be fully corrective in all patients, it may allow
those with a residual speech deficit to progress more quickly in a program of
speech therapy. Because lingual mobility improves quite reliably, one additional

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benefit of surgery in this setting is that it presumably will reduce the chances of
other, later-presenting mechanical and social problems as well.
Frenuloplasty appears to be equally effective in the treatment of mechanical
problems related to tongue-tie, even when surgery is not performed until late
childhood [21]. Following frenuloplasty, patients frequently report greater facility
with activities such as licking the lips, licking an ice cream cone, using the tongue
to sweep the teeth free of debris, kissing, and playing a wind instrument, as well as
a decrease in local discomfort and cuts beneath the tongue. Interestingly, patients
often will note improvement in some of these activities even when they failed to
perceive a limitation preoperatively. For example, a patient may be aware only in
hindsight that he or she was unable to lick the lips, when comparing this newfound
ability to his or her preoperative status; a patient who has never experienced
normal lingual mobility may not fully recognize the extent of his or her limitations
until presented with a new frame of reference. Approximately half of our own
adolescent and adult patients with uncorrected ankyloglossia have commented that
they wished their condition had been repaired earlier in childhood.
Complications of frenotomy and frenuloplasty reported historically include
infection, excessive bleeding, recurrent ankyloglossia due to excessive scarring,
one case of a new speech disorder developing postoperatively, and tongue
swallowing or glossoptosis due to excessive tongue mobility [1,7,8,29]. Contemporary literature suggests that complications of frenotomy and frenuloplasty
are rare. In our experience, and that of others [2,30], frenotomy is quite safe when
performed by those who are comfortable and familiar with the procedure. Similarly, frenuloplasty has had an excellent safety record in the current literature; no
complications were recorded in a recent series of 158 procedures [21].
Among the potential complications of surgery for tongue-tie, recurrent
ankyloglossia is the most common [2]. Some surgeons believe that recurrence
is less likely with frenuloplasty as compared with simple frenotomy. When it
occurs, recurrent ankyloglossia is generally less severe than at original presentation, and may respond favorably to revision surgery.

Summary
Ankyloglossia is an uncommon oral anomaly that can cause difficulty with
breast-feeding, speech articulation, and mechanical tasks such as licking the lips
and kissing. For many years the subject of ankyloglossia has been controversial,
with practitioners of many specialties having widely different views regarding its
significance. In many children, ankyloglossia is asymptomatic; the condition may
resolve spontaneously, or affected children may learn to compensate adequately
for their decreased lingual mobility. Some children, however, benefit from surgical intervention (frenotomy or frenuloplasty) for their tongue-tie. Parents
should be educated about the possible long-term effects of tongue-tie while their
child is young (< 1 year of age), so that they may make an informed choice
regarding possible therapy.

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