title: Giant macroglossia with persistent nonocclusion in a neonate.
abstract: Excessive enlargement of the tongue, macroglossia, is a well-recognised clinical condition which can pose significant social and health problems. We report a case of a neonate who was born with a tongue grossly enlarged to the point of inability to feed and deformation of the jaw. Despite surgical reduction of the tongue to normal size, there was a persistent nonocclusion of the mouth, making sucking impossible. Physiotherapy did not help and our experience with neonatal jaw osteotomy is limited. We wonder if a prenatal aspiration of the tongue cyst could have forestalled this jaw deformation.
authors: Department of Surgery, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria. phileokoro@yahoo.com
authors: Philemon E
authors: PE
authors: Okoro
authors: Oladimeji A
authors: OA
authors: Akadiri
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005927:Glossectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008260:Macroglossia / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D024343:Open Bite / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index