progressive hemifacial atrophy

progressive hemifacial atrophy, also known as parry-romberg syndrome, is an uncommon degenerative and poorly understood condition. it is characterized by a slow and progressive but self-limited atrophy affecting one side of the face. the incidence and the cause of this alteration are unknown. a cerebral disturbance of fat metabolism has been proposed as a primary cause. possible factors that are involved in the pathogenesis include trauma, viral infections, heredity, endocrine disturbances and auto-immunity. the most common complications that appear in association to this disorder are: trigeminal neuralgia, facial paresthesia, severe headache and epilepsy. characteristically, the atrophy progresses slowly for several years and, it becomes stable. the objective of this work is, through the presentation of a clinical case, to accomplish a literature review concerning general characteristics, etiology, physiopathology and treatment of progressive hemifacial atrophy. key words: progressive hemifacial atrophy, parry-romberg syndrome, romberg’s disease