Congenital facial hemihypertrophy: report of a case with airway compromise

Facial hemihypertrophy, first described by Beck in 1836, aroused some interest in the early part of this century among European and American clinicians. However, a search of the otolaryngologic literature failed to reveal hemihypertrophy of the head and neck area as a well-recognized entity. We recently encountered a case of hemifacial hypertrophy in a 2-year-old. The child presented with airway compromise and swallowing difficulty. The treatment of this child and a review of associated head and neck findings are discussed.