ankyloglossia

DEFINITION of ankyloglossia

Ankyloglossia is a developmental condition present at birth in which the lingual frenulum—the membrane connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth—is unusually short, tight, or thick. This tethering can vary from a thin mucous membrane band to a total fusion of the tongue to the mouth floor, often resulting in a heart-shaped appearance when the patient attempts to protrude the tongue. Clinical complications include breastfeeding difficulties in infants (e.g., poor latch or maternal nipple pain) and potential speech impediments or mechanical issues like difficulty licking the lips in older children.

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ETYMOLOGY of ankyloglossia

greek The term is derived from two Ancient Greek roots that describe the physical “tethering” of the organ: -Ankylo-: From the Greek ankýlos, meaning “bent,” “crooked,” or “loop,” and in medical contexts, “stiff” or “fused”. -glossia: From the Greek glōssa, meaning “tongue”. Suffix: The suffix -ia denotes a medical condition or state.

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Related Terms and Coding

For professional medical coding, the following diagnostic and procedural codes are standard for documenting ankyloglossia:

Term/Code	Context	Description
Q38.1	ICD-10-CM	The primary diagnostic code for ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), categorized under congenital malformations
41010	CPT Code	Frenotomy: Incision of the lingual frenulum (usually for infants) .
Lingual Frenulum	Anatomy	The vertical fold of mucous membrane that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth
Frenuloplasty	Procedure	Surgical repair or repositioning of the frenulum to increase mobility.

• Macroglossia: An abnormally large tongue, often associated with specific syndromes (ICD-10-CM Q38.2).​

• Microglossia: An abnormally small tongue (ICD-10-CM Q38.3).​

• Bifid Tongue: A cleft or “forked” tongue due to incomplete fusion during development.

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DERIVATIONS of ankyloglossia

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Query functionality

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms