Tongue 5 times longer: Lviv doctors operate on a baby with a rare syndrome

In Lviv, at the Center for Pediatric Medicine, established on the basis of the Ohmatdyt hospital, a baby's tongue, which was 5 times longer than normal, was shortened due to a rare syndrome. There are only two such children in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the Okhmatdyt hospital on Facebook, according to UNN.

Details

When Levchik was still in the womb, at 32 weeks, during an ultrasound, the doctor discovered that he was showing his tongue. This touched the future parents deeply. At a follow-up examination, the baby's prank did not seem cute, as the parents heard about a suspected genetic syndrome that could affect the child's development.

According to statistics, one such child is born on average for every 20,000 babies.

For reference

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is a rare genetic anomaly that causes intensive development of various organs during pregnancy. Levchyk had a huge tongue, enlarged internal organs, and one leg 3 cm longer than the other. Such problems should be corrected as soon as possible, but the first thing to be corrected is the tongue, before it causes problems with breathing and eating.

After consulting with their American colleagues, the Center's maxillofacial surgeons decided to perform a complex operation on Levchyk. The Center's team of surgeons performed a partial resection of the tongue using the modern Keyhole technique.

After the surgery, Levchyk's tongue is almost normal size. For the first time in his life, he was able to put it in his mouth. "Levchyk's life has changed a lot since the surgery. He is relearning how to drink, eat and communicate, as all children do, because before he had to adapt to the conditions created by his big tongue. He has to learn all these skills all over again,

Levchyk will undergo further treatment and rehabilitation.

Recall

Okhmatdyt doctors saved a child who had swallowed 20 magnets. During the operation, doctors found 5 holes in his abdominal cavity.