Médecine néonatale et pédiatrique

Abstrait

Congenital Mucocele of Tongue: A Rare Cause of Acute RespiratoryDistress

Williams J

Introduction: Congenital tongue cyst is a very rare presentation with few cases reported in literature. Mucoceles involving the ventral surface of the tongue are very rare, with sporadic cases reported in the world literature accounting to 2-8% of oral mucoceles. Case report: We report a case of 4 months old male child presenting with respiratory distress for one day and complete cessation of feeding for last 3 days presented to our outpatient department. Examination revealed a cystic lesion over ventral aspect of tongue causing obstruction to both feeding and respiration, a provisional diagnosis of tongue cyst was made, urgent aspiration of the cyst was done which revealed a mucoid brownish fluid. This reduced the size of the cyst and breathing improved. The cyst was taken for marsupialization under GA and child had immediate relief of symptoms. Regular follow up shows no recurrence of symptoms for the last 6 months. Conclusion: Tongue base cysts should be considered in differential diagnosis in new born with stridor, respiratory difficulties, or swallowing problems. Definitive therapy requires marsupialization or complete excision of the cyst wall under general anesthesia.