An Observational Study of Tongue Tie Release Using Bipolar Diathermy at Vellore District in Tamilnadu

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ankyloglossia also known as the hypertrophic lingual frenulum, is a condition where there is a limitation to the tongue movement due to the congenitally short frenulum or there is a fibrous band between base of tongue and tongue. Its prevalence is around 0.4% to 4.8% in newborns. The objective of the study was to study the effects of tongue tie release using bipolar cautery under local anaesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS An observational study was done during January 2016 to June 2016. All the paediatric patients attending the ENT Department at Vellore Medical College who had given informed consent were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaire and assessment was done post operatively. Data analysis was done by SPSS v20 and summarised by descriptive statistics. RESULTS Total number of patients included in the study was 75. Among them 47 (63%) were boys, 28 (37%) were girls. The age of patients ranges from 4-7 years, mean age was 5.59±1.03 yrs. None of the patients had any complications during the procedure and post operatively. CONCLUSION This novel technique can be considered superior to all the conventional techniques.