Craniofacial surgery in a tertiary care center in India.

Craniofacial surgery, one of the newest subspecialties of plastic surgery, has taken roots in India. The author, after having trained with Dr Ian Jackson at USA, started this facility in Chandigarh at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in 1995. The hospital caters to a population of approximately 100 million. To date, approximately 1000 major craniofacial procedures have been performed. A wide spectrum of cases belonging to congenital and acquired craniofacial deformities have been managed and followed up over a long period. The pattern of these deformities is different from those seen in the Western world. The complication rate has been comparable to any craniofacial unit in the developed countries. We have suggested ways to augment the existing facilities in India.