Autologous fat transplantation for the treatment of Parry-Romberg syndrome

Abstract

Progressive facial hemiatrophy or Parry-Romberg syndrome is characterised by slowly progressive atrophy of one side of the face, primarily involving the subcutaneous tissue and fat. The restoration of contour and symmetry is the main challenge in patients affected by this syndrome. We describe the case of a patient with stabilised mild hemifacial atrophy, successfully treated by autologous fat transplantation. Although two- or three-stage fat grafting may be needed in order to accomplish the desired result, in this specific case it was achieved in a single procedure. An accurate soft tissue substitution with creation of multiple subcutaneous and intramuscular tunnels for lipografting ensured adequate blood supply of the transplanted fat. The aesthetic improvement and the patient satisfaction show that autologous fat transplantation could be a safe technique for the correction of the mild Parry-Romberg syndrome.