title: Isolated aglossia in a six year old child presenting with impaired speech: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The most mobile organ of the body, the tongue is associated with various congenital anomalies; most of which are in association with many other systemic abnormalities. Rarely do they occur in isolation. Isolated aglossia, that we presented, is one of the more rare presentations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our patient is a 6-year-old male child of Asiatic origin from Kashmir (India), who was physically well built and mentally sound and presented with history of impaired speech. The patient had normal velopharangeal competence but absence of tongue which was replaced by a small mucus membrane projection near the floor of oropharangeal isthmus. The patient had no difficulty in feeding or taste sensation but he was unable to pronounce lingual consonants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Isolated aglossia is very rare condition explained on the basis of growth failure of lateral lingual swellings and tubercular impar. Such patients do not usually need reconstruction of tongue; as feeding, swallowing and taste sensations are usually intact and speech cannot be improved by reconstruction. However, malocclusion of teeth needs to be taken care of.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Srinagar, Kashmir India. altafrsl@gmail.com
authors.forename: Altaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.forename: Mohammad Inam
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Zaroo
authors.forename: Adil Hafeez
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wani
authors.forename: Mohammad Ashraf
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Darzi
authors.forename: Shiekh Adil
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.forename: Akram Hussain
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bijli
authors.forename: Shafaq
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rashid