Macroglossia
Macroglossia is a disorder characterized by abnormal enlargement of the tongue. Clinically, it is described as protrusion of the tongue beyond the teeth at resting position. It can be congenital or acquired. Few of the conditions associated with congenital macroglossia include infantile hemangioma, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and neurofibromatosis type 1 whereas acromegaly, systemic amyloidosis and hypothyroidism are few of the conditions associated with acquired macroglossia. The basic clinical features include an abnormally enlarged tongue which often has a tip long enough to extend to the nose or chin. However, different conditions cause different changes to the tongue's surface; hypothyroidism and acromegaly cause a smooth surface, amyloidosis and neurofibromatosis type 1 cause a multinodular surface whereas a lymphatic malformation would cause a pebbly surface that has multiple vesicle-like blebs. Apart from this, macroglossia causes difficulty in speech, articulation, chewing and swallowing and sometimes even airway obstruction. Hence, macroglossia requires immediate treatment. The condition can be treated by managing the underlying cause. However, in complicated cases the only option is to go for surgical treatment which is performing glossectomy.
There's no specific medical treatment that has been proven useful. It's basically treated by managing the underlying cause. However, when the cause is unclear or when the case is complicated, for example there is massive airway obstruction, then we go for glossectomy which is basically surgical resection of the tongue. Speech therapy is also beneficial especially when the abnormally large tongue is causing difficulty in speech.