# Comparative clinical impact of low-curvature and normal-curvature titanium mesh in cranioplasty: a retrospective analysis of patient outcomes

## TL;DR

This study compares two types of titanium mesh used in skull repair surgery and finds that low-curvature mesh leads to shorter hospital stays, lower costs, and better patient outcomes.

## Contribution

The study introduces evidence that low-curvature titanium mesh improves clinical outcomes in cranioplasty compared to normal-curvature mesh.

## Key findings

- Low-curvature titanium mesh resulted in significantly shorter hospital stays compared to normal-curvature mesh.
- Patients with low-curvature mesh had higher satisfaction, better performance status, and improved quality of life.
- Hospitalization costs were lower in the low-curvature titanium mesh group.

## Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of two types of cranioplasty surgery involving low-curvature and normal-curvature titanium mesh, respectively.

The clinical data were retrospectively collected from patients undergoing skull defect repair surgery between January 2021 and December 2022. The clinical outcomes associated with the two surgical approaches were compared and analyzed.

A total of 67 patients who underwent skull defect repair surgery were enrolled, with 22 in the low-curvature titanium mesh group and 45 in the normal-curvature titanium mesh group. Both before and after propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, the hospital stay for the low-curvature titanium mesh group was significantly shorter than that for the normal-curvature mesh group (Before: 9.14 ± 2.64 vs. 12.51 ± 4.15, P = 0.001; After: 9.44 ± 2.83 vs. 12.13 ± 4.40, P = 0.048). The low-curvature group exhibited lower overall hospitalization costs than the normal-curvature group (Before: 23500. ± 900. vs. 24,900. ± 1,100., P < 0.001; After: 23,300. ± 800. vs. 24,100. ± 1,000., P = 0.026). Moreover, satisfaction with molding (Before: 4.23 ± 0.75 vs. 3.18 ± 0.81, P = 0.001; After: 4.13 ± 0.72 vs. 3.25 ± 0.78, P < 0.001), Karnofsky's Performance Status score (Before: 93.32 ± 1.67 vs. 90.38 ± 3.50, P = 0.001; After: 93.56 ± 1.75 vs. 91.00 ± 3.78, P < 0.001), and Quality of Life score (Before: 52.95 ± 2.13 vs. 50.18 ± 3.54, P = 0.001; After: 53.31 ± 2.12 vs. 50.38 ± 4.23, P = 0.001) were significantly higher in the low-curvature titanium mesh group than the normal-curvature titanium mesh group.

Applying low-curvature titanium mesh for skull repair effectively shortens the hospital stay, reduces overall hospitalization costs,enhances patient satisfaction with surgical modeling, and improves the postoperative functional status and quality of life of patients undergoing neurosurgery. These advantages warrant further clinical promotion.