Congenital Lingual Melanotic Macule: Rare entity in infants

A five-month-old male infant presented to the Department of Pediatrics at the Madras Institute of Orthopaedics & Traumatology in Chennai, India, in June 2014 with a pigmented lesion on the tongue that had been observed since birth. The baby was healthy, accepting feeds well and was not taking any medication. There was no associated family history of melanomas, polyposis or mucosal pigmentation. The mother reported that the size of the lesion had been increasing gradually since birth. An oral cavity examination revealed a solitary 6 × 6 mm black macule on the right lateral aspect of the surface of the tongue [Figure 1]. There were no other pigmented lesions found anywhere else on the infant’s body. A dermatological opinion was sought and a diagnosis of a congenital lingual melanotic macule was made. A biopsy was recommended; however, the family moved away and the patient was lost to follow-up. Figure 1: Five-month-old male infant with a solitary black congenital lingual melanotic macule measuring 6 × 6 mm on the right lateral aspect of the surface of the tongue (arrow).