Cranial bone defects occur after traumatic brain injuries or neurosurgical procedures. Patients with these defects also suffer from headaches and neurological disorders. Traumatization of the brain on the edge of the bone when coughing, sneezing, or a sharp tilt of the head leads to impaired blood and cerebrospinal fluid circulation. Therefore, if there are skull defects, they should be closed as soon as possible. The operation will help a patient get rid of most of the symptoms and prevent complications. You can undergo your treatment of cranial bone defects in Germany and expect good results.
Content
- Types of cranioplasty
- Autologous bone grafting
- Plastic surgery with artificial materials
Cranial bone defects can be closed with the patient's own bone or with an implant made of artificial materials, which is manufactured individually. The implant is ideal for a patient, taking into account the size and shape of the defect and the skull structure.
You can seek medical attention from the University Hospital Muenster, the University Hospital Freiburg, or Charite University Hospital Berlin.
Please leave your request on the Booking Health website to get consultation and travel arrangement services. We will help with selecting a clinic, preparing documents, booking a hotel and purchasing airline tickets. The cost of your treatment in Germany will be reduced due to the lack of taxes for foreign patients.
Types of cranioplasty
A cranioplasty involves the closure of defects in the skull bones. The following options can be used to restore its integrity:
- patient's own materials, namely bones from other parts of the body (autotransplants);
- tissue from another person (allografts, rarely used);
- individual implants (prostheses) made of artificial materials.
It is important that the material is biocompatible (does not cause any immune rejection reactions), plastic, and non-carcinogenic (does not increase the risk of tumor development). It must be able to fuse with the adjacent bone tissue, ensure the formation of strong scars, have low thermal conductivity, and high resistance to mechanical stress. It is also important that a patient can undergo brain CT and MRI scans after the placement of the implant, if required.
Autologous bone grafting
The patient's own bone is the best material for plastic surgery as it meets all the above-mentioned characteristics. Whenever possible, this material is used for defect closure.
It is the first-choice technique for depressed skull fractures. The patient's own bone is preserved by returning it to its place. It is also strengthened with titanium miniplates and sutures. Unfortunately, in the case of bone infection, it cannot be preserved.
The patient's own fragment of the skull is also preserved during neurosurgical procedures. If it cannot be put in place immediately, the removed bone will be sutured into the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the anterior abdominal wall or thigh, and then removed at the right time and used to close the skull defect. It is also possible to preserve the bone not in the patient's body but in a special solution or freezer. In this case, the storage period should not exceed 12 months, otherwise infectious complications and the risk of bone dissolution after implantation will increase.
If there is no bone tissue from the area of the trepanation opening, it can be taken from other places. Most often, these are the bones of the cranial vault, while the ribs or the ilium are less commonly used.
Plastic surgery with artificial materials
Doctors at German Neurosurgery Centers most often close skull defects with artificial prostheses. Implants can be made individually from different materials. These may be as follows:
- polymethyl methacrylates;
- polyester-ketones;
- reperen;
- titanium;
- hydroxyapatite.
Germany uses 3D printing technology, thanks to which doctors can make an implant individually for a patient. Such implants repeat the shape of the defect and imitate the normal bone architecture of the skull. 3D printing involves the creation of a 3D model, which is obtained by stereolithographic modeling with frameless navigation. Implant manufacturing is possible directly during neuronavigation-guided surgery. Clinics in Germany often use CAD/CAM computer-aided design and manufacturing systems that do not require the creation of an intermediate physical model (template).
You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to undergo your diagnostics, surgical treatment, and neurological rehabilitation in Germany. On our website, you can find the cost of treatment and choose a medical care program at a favorable price. Our specialists will help you select hospitals and arrange your trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
MedicineNet
NHS
Sience Direct
