Subject: RE: Drooling

Janis,

Welcome. What does the surgical procedure to reduce drooling involve? We would love to know the details.

Thanks,

Chris

Subject: Anti-drooling surgery

Katie, age 12, deletion +, had surgery to cut down on drooling 3 years ago when she was almost 10.

She needed a dental graft so I decided to do the surgery at the same time. She had: * teeth cleaning, one filling, and sealants (This is the only cavity she has had, what luck or is it?) * graft put on her lower gum * anti-drooling surgery

The anti-drooling surgery is done under general anaesthesia and is usually a day surgery. For some kids (probably ours) an overnight stay is required. Katie's ENT did the surgery for drooling. Not all ENT's are qualified to do this surgery. The doctor closed off some of the ducts but not all of them. You don't want to cut off all the ducts or your mouth would be dry of course.

She used to drip drool off her chin continually in a string and this wasn't too bad when she was young but not socially all that great as adolescence approached. She still has a bit of a wet chin and sometimes drools if she is concentrating on a fine motor task, but overall I am very happy we went ahead with the surgery.

Katie's ENT, Dr. Richardson, has left the Seattle area and I think he is now at Johns Hopkins.

Downside of that surgery: Katie had a complication during this surgery (unrelated to Angelman's). The apparatus to close off her throat and prevent blood from dripping in her lungs didn't fit her well. The Baby sizes were too small and she was too small for the larger sizes. The doctors used the smaller tools and tried to close off her throat with gauze, but some blood dripped down her throat and into her lungs. She got pneumonia from this and stayed in the hospital for 5 days.

She had another surgery to remove her tonsils last summer and it went very well. The dentist also again cleaned her teeth at this time.

Janis

Subject: Correction - Anti-drooling surgery

Hi Everyone, I posted info on anti drooling surgery that Katie (12 y.o.) had 3 years ago. Correction: The surgeon does not close off the saliva ducts. He actually reroutes them to drain down the throat. Sorry for my lapse in memory.

Janis