Current surgical management of macroglossia.

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery

Background:

• Macroglossia, or enlarged tongue, presents significant functional and aesthetic challenges.
• Current management strategies aim to improve speech, swallowing, and facial aesthetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss current surgical techniques for managing macroglossia.
• To evaluate the outcomes and limitations of existing and emerging surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• Review of traditional surgical methods: anterior wedge resection and keyhole resection.
• Exploration of newer techniques: double stellate and combination approaches.
• Consideration of alternative treatments for specific etiologies like vascular malformations (laser, radio-frequency ablation).

Main Results:

• Traditional methods are well-studied but lack extensive long-term outcome data.
• Novel techniques show promise but require further investigation with larger case series.
• A three-dimensional approach may offer optimal functional and aesthetic results.
• Less invasive options exist for milder cases.

Conclusions:

• Surgical approach should be tailored to individual patient needs, symptom severity, and surgeon expertise.
• Anterior wedge and keyhole resections remain the most documented strategies.
• Limited outcome data necessitates further research to determine the superiority of any single method.