Ankyloglossia correction: Z-plasty combined with genioglossus myotomy

Ankyloglossia or tongue-tie is a disease in which the tongue has a mobility disorder because the lingual frenulum is short and tight, and as a result, the tongue tip is tied up. It may be asymptomatic or may cause various problems such as articulation disorder. Surgical treatment is required in many of the patients, and conventional methods release only the mucosal layer of the frenulum. However, conventional method alone is not as effective; therefore, the authors studied the addition of a partial myotomy of the genioglossus muscle along with mucosal layer release for treatment. The authors performed the surgery on 106 patients from 2005 to 2010, and during the surgery, the mucosal layer was released through Z-plasty after myotomy was performed on the contracted genioglossus muscle. During the follow-up, none of the patients showed signs and symptoms of tongue mobility impairment or articulation disorder caused by the partial myotomy of the genioglossus muscle, and a satisfactory outcome was obtained in achieving mobility of the tongue tip. Because tongue mobility disorder in ankyloglossia is accompanied by the contracture and shortening of the genioglossus muscle, an improved outcome is expected in the projection and mobility of the tongue tip from the combined application of conventional Z-plasty and genioglossus muscle release.