Properties of an In Vivo Fractured Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Cranioplasty After 15 Years

Characterisation of Selected Materials in Medical Applications

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field of science that has developed very intensively in recent years. The first part of this review describes materials with medical and dental applications from the following groups: metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites. Both positive and negative sides of their application are presented from the point of view of medical application and mechanical properties. A variety of techniques for the manufacture of biomedical components are presented in this review. The main focus of this work is on additive manufacturing and 3D printing, as these modern techniques have been evaluated to be the best methods for the manufacture of medical and dental devices. The second part presents devices for skull bone reconstruction. The materials from which they are made and the possibilities offered by 3D printing in this field are also described. The last part concerns dental transitional implants (scaffolds) for guided bone regeneration, focusing on polylactide-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite due to its unique properties. This section summarises the current knowledge of scaffolds, focusing on the material, mechanical and biological requirements, the effects of these devices on the human body, and their great potential for applications.

The "springform" technique in cranioplasty: custom made 3D-printed templates for intraoperative modelling of polymethylmethacrylate cranial implants

Background

Manual moulding of cranioplasty implants after craniectomy is feasible, but does not always yield satisfying cosmetic results. In contrast, 3D printing can provide precise templates for intraoperative moulding of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) implants in cranioplasty. Here, we present a novel and easily implementable 3D printing workflow to produce patient-specific, sterilisable templates for PMMA implant moulding in cranioplastic neurosurgery.

Methods

3D printable templates of patients with large skull defects before and after craniectomy were designed virtually from cranial CT scans. Both templates — a mould to reconstruct the outer skull shape and a ring representing the craniectomy defect margins — were printed on a desktop 3D printer with biocompatible photopolymer resins and sterilised after curing. Implant moulding and implantation were then performed intraoperatively using the templates. Clinical and radiological data were retrospectively analysed.

Results

Sixteen PMMA implants were performed on 14 consecutive patients within a time span of 10 months. The median defect size was 83.4 cm² (range 57.8–120.1 cm²). Median age was 51 (range 21–80) years, and median operating time was 82.5 (range 52–152) min. No intraoperative complications occurred; PMMA moulding was uneventful and all implants fitted well into craniectomy defects. Excellent skull reconstruction could be confirmed in all postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans. In three (21.4%) patients with distinct risk factors for postoperative haematoma, revision surgery for epidural haematoma had to be performed. No surgery-related mortality or new and permanent neurologic deficits were recorded.

Conclusion

Our novel 3D printing-aided moulding workflow for elective cranioplasty with patient-specific PMMA implants proved to be an easily implementable alternative to solely manual implant moulding. The “springform” principle, focusing on reconstruction of the precraniectomy skull shape and perfect closure of the craniectomy defect, was feasible and showed excellent cosmetic results. The proposed method combines the precision and cosmetic advantages of computer-aided design (CAD) implants with the cost-effectiveness of manually moulded PMMA implants.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00701-021-05077-7.

Accuracy Assessment of Molded, Patient-Specific Polymethylmethacrylate Craniofacial Implants Compared to Their 3D Printed Originals

The use of patient-specific implants (PSIs) in craniofacial surgery is often limited due to a lack of expertise and/or production costs. Therefore, a simple and cost-efficient template-based fabrication workflow has been developed to overcome these disadvantages. The aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of PSIs made from their original templates. For a representative cranial defect (CRD) and a temporo-orbital defect (TOD), ten PSIs were made from polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) using computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. These customized implants were measured and compared with their original 3D printed templates. The implants for the CRD revealed a root mean square (RMS) value ranging from 1.128 to 0.469 mm with a median RMS (Q1 to Q3) of 0.574 (0.528 to 0.701) mm. Those for the TOD revealed an RMS value ranging from 1.079 to 0.630 mm with a median RMS (Q1 to Q3) of 0.843 (0.635 to 0.943) mm. This study demonstrates that a highly precise duplication of PSIs can be achieved using this template-molding workflow. Thus, virtually planned implants can be accurately transferred into haptic PSIs. This workflow appears to offer a sophisticated solution for craniofacial reconstruction and continues to prove itself in daily clinical practice.

Mechanical behaviour of composite calcium phosphate-titanium cranial implants: Effects of loading rate and design

Cranial implants are used to repair bone defects following neurosurgery or trauma. At present, there is a lack of data on their mechanical response, particularly in impact loading. The aim of the present study was to assess the mechanical response of a recently developed composite calcium phosphate-titanium (CaP-Ti) implant at quasi-static and impact loading rates. Two different designs were tested, referred to as Design 1 (D1) and Design 2 (D2). The titanium structures in the implant specimens were additively manufactured by a powder-bed fusion process and subsequently embedded in a self-setting CaP material. D1 was conceptually representative of the clinically used implants. In D2, the titanium structure was simplified in terms of geometry in order to facilitate the manufacturing. The mechanical response of the implants was evaluated in quasi-static compression, and in impact using a drop-tower. Similar peak loads were obtained for the two designs, at the two loading rates: 808 ± 29 N and 852 ± 34 for D1, and 840 ± 40 N and 814 ± 13 for D2. A strain rate dependency was demonstrated for both designs, with a higher stiffness in the impact test. Furthermore, the titanium in the implant fractured in the quasi-static test (to failure) but not in the impact test (to 5.75 J) for D1. For D2, the displacement at peak load was significantly lower in the impact test than in the quasi-static test. The main difference between the designs was seen in the quasi-static test results where the deformation zones, i.e. notches in the titanium structure between the CaP tiles, in D1 likely resulted in a localization of the deformation, compared to in D2 (which did not have deformation zones). In the impact test, the only significant difference between the designs was a higher maximum displacement of D2 than of D1. In comparison with other reported mechanical tests on osteoconductive ceramic-based cranial implants, the CaP-Ti implant demonstrates the highest reported strength in quasi-static compression. In conclusion, the titanium structure seems to make the CaP-Ti implant capable of cerebral protection in impact situations like the one tested in this study.