Frenotomy with breastfeeding support versus breastfeeding support alone for infants with tongue-tie and breastfeeding difficulties: the FROSTTIE RCT

Knight, Marian; Ramakrishnan, Rema; Ratushnyak, Svetlana; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Bell, Jennifer; Bowler, Ursula; Buchanan, Phyll; Carter, Claire; Cole, Christina; Hewer, Oliver; Hurd, Madeleine; King, Andy; Juszczak, Ed; Linsell, Louise; Long, Anna May; Mottram, Linda; Murray, David; Oddie, Sam; Quigley, Maria; Stalker, Victoria; Stanbury, Kayleigh; Welsh, Richard; Hardy, Pollyanna

Abstract

Background
Tongue-tie can be diagnosed in 3–11% of babies, with some studies reporting almost universal breastfeeding difficulties, and others reporting very few feeding difficulties that relate to the tongue-tie itself, instead noting that incorrect positioning and attachment are the primary reasons behind the observed breastfeeding difficulties and not the tongue-tie itself. The only existing trials of frenotomy are small and underpowered and/or include only very short-term or subjective outcomes.

Objective
To investigate whether frenotomy is clinically and cost-effective to promote continuation of breastfeeding at 3 months in infants with breastfeeding difficulties diagnosed with tongue-tie.

Design
A multicentre, unblinded, randomised, parallel group controlled trial.

Setting
Twelve infant feeding services in the UK.

Participants
Infants aged up to 10 weeks referred to an infant feeding service (by a parent, midwife or other breastfeeding support service) with breastfeeding difficulties and judged to have tongue-tie.

Interventions
Infants were randomly allocated to frenotomy with standard breastfeeding support or standard breastfeeding support without frenotomy.

Main outcome measures
Primary outcome was any breastmilk feeding at 3 months according to maternal self-report. Secondary outcomes included mother’s pain, exclusive breastmilk feeding, exclusive direct breastfeeding, frenotomy, adverse events, maternal anxiety and depression, maternal and infant NHS health-care resource use, cost-effectiveness, and any breastmilk feeding at 6 months of age.

Results
Between March 2019 and November 2020, 169 infants were randomised, 80 to the frenotomy with breastfeeding support arm and 89 to the breastfeeding support arm from a planned sample size of 870 infants. The trial was stopped in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic due to withdrawal of breastfeeding support services, slow recruitment and crossover between arms. In the frenotomy with breastfeeding support arm 74/80 infants (93%) received their allocated intervention, compared to 23/89 (26%) in the breastfeeding support arm. Primary outcome data were available for 163/169 infants (96%). There was no evidence of a difference between the arms in the rate of breastmilk feeding at 3 months, which was high in both groups (67/76, 88% vs. 75/87, 86%; adjusted risk ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 1.16). Adverse events were reported for three infants after surgery [bleeding (n = 1), salivary duct damage (n = 1), accidental cut to the tongue and salivary duct damage (n = 1)]. Cost-effectiveness could not be determined with the information available.

Limitations
The statistical power of the analysis was extremely limited due to not achieving the target sample size and the high proportion of infants in the breastfeeding support arm who underwent frenotomy.

Conclusions
This trial does not provide sufficient information to assess whether frenotomy in addition to breastfeeding support improves breastfeeding rates in infants diagnosed with tongue-tie.

Future work
There is a clear lack of equipoise in the UK concerning the use of frenotomy, however, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the procedure still need to be established. Other study designs will need to be considered to address this objective.

Trial registration
This trial is registered as ISRCTN 10268851.

Citation

Knight, M., Ramakrishnan, R., Ratushnyak, S., Rivero-Arias, O., Bell, J., Bowler, U., …Hardy, P. (2023). Frenotomy with breastfeeding support versus breastfeeding support alone for infants with tongue-tie and breastfeeding difficulties: the FROSTTIE RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 27(11), https://doi.org/10.3310/WBBW2302

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 21, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 25, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-07
• Deposit Date: Aug 2, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 2, 2023
• Journal: Health Technology Assessment
• Print ISSN: 1366-5278
• Electronic ISSN: 2046-4924
• Publisher: NIHR Journals Library
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 11
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/WBBW2302
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/23717923
• Publisher URL: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/WBBW2302/#/abstract