Early resorption of an artificial bone graft made of calcium phosphate for cranioplasty: case report

Bone graft absorption complication following cranioplasty: A retrospective institutional study

The aim of the present retrospective study was to confer the factors that are related to bone graft absorption and affect the outcomes of patients following cranioplasty (CPL). The present retrospective study includes cases of patients that underwent CPL between February, 2013 and December, 2022. All participants had a follow-up period of 1 to 10 years from the day of discharge from the hospital. In total, 116 (62.3%) of the 186 patients that underwent decompressive craniectomy (DC) were enrolled in the present study for CPL. A total of 109 (93.9%) patients were included in group A, and 7 (6.0%) patients were included in group B. On the whole, the results of the present study suggest that a CPL after 2.5-7.7 months of DC increases the possibility of bone absorption.

A retrospective descriptive study of cranioplasty failure rates and contributing factors in novel 3D printed calcium phosphate implants compared to traditional materials

BACKGROUND

Failure rates with cranioplasty procedures have driven efforts to improve graft material and reduce reoperation. One promising allograft source is a 3D-printed titanium mesh with calcium phosphate filler. This study evaluated failure rates and pertinent characteristics of these novel 3D-grafts compared to traditional materials.

METHODS

Sixty patients were retrospectively identified who underwent a cranioplasty between January 2015-December 2017. Specific data points related to graft failure were collected for all surgical admissions, from the primary injury to their most recent. These included, but were not limited to, initial physical exam findings, vitals, comorbid conditions, surgery length, estimated blood loss, incision type, and need for revision. Failure rates of 3D-printed allografts were compared to traditional grafts.

RESULTS

A total of 60 subjects were identified who underwent 71 unique cranioplasty procedures (3D = 13, Synthetic = 12, Autologous = 46). There were 14 total failures, demonstrating a 19.7% overall failure rate. Specifically, 15.4% (n = 2) of 3D, 19.6% (n = 9) of autologous, and 25.0% (n = 3) of synthetic grafts required revision. Patients receiving 3D-grafts had the shortest overall mean surgery times (200.8 ± 54.3 min) and lowest infection rates (7.7%) compared to autologous (210.5 ± 47.9 min | 25.0%) and synthetic models (217.6 ± 77.3 min | 8.7%), though significance was unable to be determined. Tobacco use and trap-door incisions were associated with increased failure rates relative to straight or curved incisions in autologous grafts. Cranioplasties performed less than 3 months after craniectomy appeared to fail more often than those performed at least three months after craniectomy, for the synthetic group.

CONCLUSION

We concluded that 3D-printed cranioplasty grafts may lead to lower failure rates and shorter surgery times compared to traditional cranioplasty materials in our limited population. 3D-implants hold promise for cranial reconstruction after TBI.

Suturing-Free Artificial Dura with Dacron Heart Patch in Decompressive Craniectomy and Cranioplasty

Dacron heart patch has been used in decompressive craniectomy, performing the function of septa, mainly to prevent extra adhesion of temporal muscle and decompressive meningeal adhesion in the second-stage cranioplasty, so as to make the operation easier. Then, we made the following modification technology: (1) We used artificial suturing-free dura participate directly in the duraplasty. (2) Dacron patch is not in need of trimming the side holes and can directly cover the decompression window. From March 2012 to October 2013, we applied the technology of artificial dura with Dacron heart patch in 23 patients; after operation, we found that the initial depressive craniectomy cost less time, due to the tension-reduced suture which was not needed, and in the second-stage cranioplasty, the temporal was easy to remove and had no adhesion with the Dacron patch, so as to reach temporal muscle anatomy preservation, and with no obvious postoperative complication.

Bioceramic Implant Induces Bone Healing of Cranial Defects

Autologous bone or inert alloplastic materials used in cranial reconstructions are techniques that are associated with resorption, infection, and implant exposure. As an alternative, a calcium phosphate–based implant was developed and previously shown to potentially stimulate bone growth. We here uncover evidence of induced bone formation in 2 patients. Histological examination 9 months postoperatively showed multinuclear cells in the central defect zone and bone ingrowth in the bone-implant border zone. An increased expression of bone-associated markers was detected. The other patient was investigated 50 months postoperatively. Histological examination revealed ceramic materials covered by vascularized compact bone. The bone regenerative effect induced by the implant may potentially improve long-term clinical outcome compared with conventional techniques, which needs to be verified in a clinical study.