Papers of the Week

Parry Romberg Syndrome or Progressive Hemifacial Atrophy is a rare disease usually affecting one side of face with loss of soft and hard tissues. The disease appears suddenly and is usually self-limiting in 2-10 years time. The loss of soft and hard tissue leads to aesthetic and functional deficits which are compounded by the presence of associated symptoms like neuralgia, migraine, epilepsy and ocular involvement. The degree of deformity depends on the age at which the disease manifests first; the younger the age, the more severe the deformity. These patients undergo severe psychological trauma and social problems. The exact etiology is not known, and treatment is largely cosmetic. A report of three cases and a literature review is presented.