by A Baby Was Born With A Giant Tongue
ᴍᴀᴄʀᴏɢʟᴏssɪᴀ is the ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴇɴʟᴀʀɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ of the tongue in proportion to other structures in the mouth. It usually occurs secondary to an ᴜɴᴅᴇʀʟʏɪɴɢ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ that may be present from birth (ᴄᴏɴɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ) ᴏʀ ᴀᴄǫᴜɪʀᴇᴅ.
Symptoms associated with ᴍᴀᴄʀᴏɢʟᴏssɪᴀ may include drooling; speech impairment; difficulty eating; stridor; snoring; airway ᴏʙsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ; ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴀᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴇᴛʜ; ᴜʟᴄᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ; and/or ᴅʏɪɴɢ ᴛɪssᴜᴇ on the tip of the tongue. The tongue may protrude from the mouth. Iɴʜᴇʀɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ᴄᴏɴɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀs ᴀssᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ with ᴍᴀᴄʀᴏɢʟᴏssɪᴀ include Down sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, Beckwith-Wiedemann sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, primary ᴀᴍʏʟᴏɪᴅᴏsɪs and ᴄᴏɴɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ ʜʏᴘᴏᴛʜʏʀᴏɪᴅɪsᴍ.
Aparajit Lodhi was born with a ʀᴀʀe ᴄᴏɴɢeɴɪᴛᴀʟ ᴀɴᴏᴍᴀʟʏ called ᴍᴀᴄʀᴏɢʟᴏssɪᴀ – a ᴍeᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛeʀᴍ Fᴏʀ ᴀɴ ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟʟʏ large ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe.Her ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe was so big doctors were unsure if she would sᴜʀᴠɪᴠe ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴅᴠɪseᴅ ʜeʀ ᴘᴀʀeɴᴛs sʜe ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴠe ᴠeʀʏ ʟᴏɴɢ.
But mother, Mini Lodhi, 28, was determined to sᴀᴠᴇ her baby.Mini, from Jabalpur of north Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said: “I was ʜᴏʀʀɪFɪeᴅ to see the baby with her own ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe stuffing her month. She was crying continuously. I knew she was in ᴘᴀɪɴ and also hungry. But I was helpless. I could neither share her ᴘᴀɪɴ nor nurse her because the ᴏᴠeʀɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴄʟᴏɢɢeᴅ her mouth. But we were determined to sᴀᴠᴇ our child come what may.”
Aparajit was kept alive using a ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ apparatus and at just four-days-old ᴜɴᴅeʀᴡeɴᴛ ᴀɴ ᴏᴘeʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ to reduce the size of her ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe. Dr Agarwal, head of pediatric and newborn sᴜʀɢeʀʏ at the state-run Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital, where the ᴏᴘeʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ took place, said: “She was not able to sᴡᴀʟʟᴏᴡ anything because of this ɢɪᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe.
“Not only after birth, but the baby was not able to sᴡᴀʟʟᴏᴡ anything because of this condition in the womb also. After the ᴏᴘeʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, she was able to sᴡᴀʟʟᴏᴡ anything for the first time ever. It was a ʙɪɢ ᴛᴜᴍᴏᴜʀ in the ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe and it took two hours for the team of doctors to remove the ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ. We had to remove the ᴛᴜᴍᴏᴜʀ completely as we couldn’t have left any remnants of it. But at the same time, you had to take care that the ᴛᴏɴɢᴜe doesn’t lose its function.”
After the ᴏᴘeʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, the baby was given sugar water before her mother was allowed to nurse her. Mini recalled: “Finally, I was able to nurse my baby after four-long-days. It was for the first time, I enjoyed the bliss of motherhood. I saw a smile on my little angel’s face. We are so relieved now.”
