Congenital Infiltrating Lipomatosis of the Face: Case Report and Literature Review.

RATIONALE: Congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face (CILF) is a rare disorder characterized by collections of nonencapsulated mature lipocytes that infiltrate surrounding tissues. In this article, we would report a new case of CILF, which may be one of the first few cases reported in China.

PATIENT CONCERNS: An 8-year-old boy presented with a hyperplasia of subcutaneous tissue of his left face, which had been gradually progressing since birth, resulting in a marked facial asymmetry. Then he underwent an operation of resection of the subcutaneous mass, and the postoperative pathological analysis reported a mature adipose tissue.

DIAGNOSES AND OUTCOMES: The diagnosis of CILF was finally made according to a comprehensive consideration of the patient's situation. We then searched different databases for studies that had investigated CILF, reviewed those literatures, and gave our summaries for such a rare disease.

LESSONS: Congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face is an extremely rare disease. There is so much unknown about it, and the gradual progress and recurrence make it even harder to cure. Besides, the psychological impact on such patients must be considered. Thus, a proper collection and analysis of the reports of such a disease are very important.