Question: What is (are) Hemifacial microsomia ?
Answer: Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a condition in which part of one side of the face is underdeveloped and does not grow normally. The eye, cheekbone, lower jaw, facial nerves, muscles, and neck may be affected. Other findings may include hearing loss from underdevelopment of the middle ear; a small tongue; and macrostomia (large mouth). HFM is the second most common facial birth defect after clefts. The cause of HFM in most cases is unknown. It usually occurs in people with no family history of HFM, but it is inherited in some cases. Treatment depends on age and the specific features and symptoms in each person.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the symptoms of Hemifacial microsomia ?
Answer: What are the signs and symptoms of Hemifacial microsomia? People with hemifacial microsomia may have various signs and symptoms, including: Facial asymmetry Abnormalities of the outer ear such as absence, reduced size (hypoplasia), and/or displacement Small and/or flattened maxillary, temporal, and malar bones Deafness due to middle ear abnormalities Ear tags Abnormalities (in shape or number) of the teeth, or significant delay of tooth development Narrowed mandible (jaw) or absence of half of the mandible Cleft lip and/or palate Reduced size of facial muscles Abnormalities of the eyes (extremely small or absent) Skeletal abnormalities including problems of the spine or ribs Absence of cheeck muscles or nerves supplying those muscles (resulting in an uneven smile) The Human Phenotype Ontology provides the following list of signs and symptoms for Hemifacial microsomia. If the information is available, the table below includes how often the symptom is seen in people with this condition. You can use the MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary to look up the definitions for these medical terms. Signs and Symptoms Approximate number of patients (when available) Facial asymmetry 90% Hearing impairment 90% Preauricular skin tag 90% Abnormal form of the vertebral bodies 50% Abnormality of the inner ear 50% Abnormality of the middle ear 50% Atresia of the external auditory canal 50% Cleft palate 50% Epibulbar dermoid 50% Low-set, posteriorly rotated ears 50% Neurological speech impairment 50% Non-midline cleft lip 50% Abnormal localization of kidney 7.5% Abnormality of the pharynx 7.5% Abnormality of the ribs 7.5% Aplasia/Hypoplasia affecting the eye 7.5% Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the corpus callosum 7.5% Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the lungs 7.5% Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the thumb 7.5% Autism 7.5% Cerebral cortical atrophy 7.5% Cleft eyelid 7.5% Cognitive impairment 7.5% Laryngomalacia 7.5% Muscular hypotonia 7.5% Renal hypoplasia/aplasia 7.5% Scoliosis 7.5% Short stature 7.5% Tetralogy of Fallot 7.5% Tracheoesophageal fistula 7.5% Tracheomalacia 7.5% Ventricular septal defect 7.5% Ventriculomegaly 7.5% Vertebral segmentation defect 7.5% Visual impairment 7.5% Wide mouth 7.5% Agenesis of corpus callosum - Anophthalmia - Anotia - Arnold-Chiari malformation - Autosomal dominant inheritance - Blepharophimosis - Block vertebrae - Branchial anomaly - Cleft upper lip - Coarctation of aorta - Conductive hearing impairment - Ectopic kidney - Hemivertebrae - Hydrocephalus - Hypoplasia of facial musculature - Hypoplasia of the maxilla - Intellectual disability - Malar flattening - Microphthalmia - Microtia - Multicystic kidney dysplasia - Occipital encephalocele - Patent ductus arteriosus - Pulmonary hypoplasia - Renal agenesis - Sensorineural hearing impairment - Strabismus - Unilateral external ear deformity - Upper eyelid coloboma - Ureteropelvic junction obstruction - Vertebral hypoplasia - Vesicoureteral reflux - The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) has collected information on how often a sign or symptom occurs in a condition. Much of this information comes from Orphanet, a European rare disease database. The frequency of a sign or symptom is usually listed as a rough estimate of the percentage of patients who have that feature. The frequency may also be listed as a fraction. The first number of the fraction is how many people had the symptom, and the second number is the total number of people who were examined in one study. For example, a frequency of 25/25 means that in a study of 25 people all patients were found to have that symptom. Because these frequencies are based on a specific study, the fractions may be different if another group of patients are examined. Sometimes, no information on frequency is available. In these cases, the sign or symptom may be rare or common.
Source: GARD

Question: Is Hemifacial microsomia inherited ?
Answer: Is hemifacial microsomia inherited? Hemifacial microsomia most often occurs in a single individual in a family and is not inherited. If the condition is caused by a chromosomal abnormality, it may be inherited from one affected parent or it may result from a new abnormality in the chromosome and occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. In a very small number of cases, hemifacial microsomia is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of an altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. In rare cases, the condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of a gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition. The gene or genes involved in hemifacial microsomia are unknown. In some affected families, people seem to inherit an increased risk of developing hemifacial microsomia, not the condition itself. In these cases, some combination of genetic changes and environmental factors may be involved.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the treatments for Hemifacial microsomia ?
Answer: How might hemifacial microsomia be treated? Treatment of hemifacial microsomia varies depending on the features present and the severity in each affected person. Various types of surgeries may be needed in many cases. Some children need breathing support or a tracheostomy soon after birth if the jaw is severely affected. However in most cases, airway problems can be managed without surgery. Those with a jaw deformity and/or clefts may have feeding problems and may need supplemental feedings through a nasogastric tube to support growth and weight gain. Babies born with cleft lip or palate can have surgical repairs done during the first year. Cleft lip repair is typically performed when the child is 3-6 months old, while cleft palate surgery is generally performed when the child is about a year old. A lateral facial cleft, one of the most severe abnormalities associated with the condition, also requires reconstruction in stages. If eye closure is incomplete due to eyelid abnormalities or facial paralysis is present, a child may need eye protection or surgery. Surgery may also be used for eyelid differences to reposition the lower lids and corners of the eyes. Some children with abnormally shaped or missing ears may choose to have a series of reconstructive surgeries to make the ear appear more normal. Children with skin, cheek and other soft tissue deficiencies may need augmentation procedures such as fat grafting or tissue transfer. Severe bone abnormalities may require surgery as well. Because multiple body systems may be involved in hemifacial microsomia, affected people should continually be monitored for complications.
Source: GARD