WOFAPS 2025 8th World Congress of Pediatric Surgery

Alparslan Kapısız, Cem Kaya, Fatma Nur Aracıer Uçaner, Leyla Nur Türker, Gökhan Arkan, Özlem Nur Yıldırım, Ramazan Karabulut, Zafer Türkyılmaz, Kaan Sönmez

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

Aim: Ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie, is a congenital oral anomaly that restricts the mobility of the tongue tip. Frenotomy is the primary treatment method for ankyloglossia. The aim of this study is to share our experiences with patients aged 0-18 years who underwent frenotomy for ankyloglossia in our clinic between 2012 and 2022.

Material and Methods: A total of 164 patients who underwent frenotomy between 2012 and 2022 at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, XXX University, were included in this study. The classification and treatment of tongue-tie were based on the Ferres-Amat classification. Patients were evaluated based on age, gender, presenting complaints, degree of tongue-tie, and surgical procedures. Additionally, the gender distribution and grade classification of tongue-tie patients were analyzed according to age groups, and the differences in grade distribution among different age groups were compared.

Results : In our baby-friendly hospital, 164 patients, the majority of whom were referred to our clinic by breastfeeding and speech therapy clinics with tongue-tie complaints, underwent frenotomy. The patients presenting to our center with complaints of tongue-tie are 74.4% under one year of age, and 64.6% male. The primary complaint in infants under one year of age was difficulty in sucking while breastfeeding, while in children over one year of age, it was speech disorder.

Conclusion: The frenotomy procedure was typically performed by our physicians using a straight clamp to crush the frenulum, followed by excision with scissors. In some cases, bipolar cautery was required for hemostasis. Contrary to the complication rates mentioned in the literature, only two of our operated patients experienced burns on the lower lip due to bipolar cautery contact, and appropriate wound care was provided. Following the procedures performed in our clinic, complaints decreased in patients who presented with breastfeeding problems, sucking and weight gain were achieved, and at the very least, maternal anxiety was alleviated.