The Reconstruction of Post-traumatic Cranial Bone Depression by Duplicating an Autogenous Bone Flap With a Prosthetic Polymethyl Methacrylate Cranial Stent

TL;DR

This paper presents a case report on using a prosthetic stent to duplicate autogenous bone flaps for cranial reconstruction, aiming to improve surgical outcomes.

Contribution

The novel approach involves duplicating autogenous bone flaps using polymethyl methacrylate to enhance cranioplasty results.

Findings

Using polymethyl methacrylate stents allows for duplication of autogenous bone flaps.

This method may reduce complications associated with traditional cranioplasty techniques.

Abstract

Cranioplasty is a common surgical procedure used to restore the shape of the calvaria. Autogenous bone flaps provide biological repair with the least morbidity to the donor location. One method for reusing bone autograft during cranioplasty involves low-temperature preservation followed by autoclaving. According to the literature, there was a good to modest improvement in the skull's symmetry, cosmesis, scars, and contour. It was determined that autoclaved frozen autogenous cerebral bone flaps are a safe and reliable method of cranioplasty. Despite its apparent simplicity, cranioplasty has been found to carry a relatively high complication rate, ranging from 12% to 50%, which starkly contrasts with the standard elective craniotomy, with a complication rate typically ranging from 24% to 60%. Complications associated with autogenous bone flap procedures are varied. The presented case report primarily focuses on the duplication of autogenous bone flaps by using clear polymethyl methacrylate.

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